April Ain't Nobody's Fool
by I hart Booth
Summary: A body is found. No surprise. It's a foster child and Brennan takes it hard. Again, no surprise. But someone has a connection to the case that no one sees coming and things are about to get personal. SURPRISE! BB friendship to Romance
1. The Dynamic Duo

**_There's nothing much to say about this at this point, just read it, see what you think. _**

**_Disclaimer: I don't own Bones...still wondering why that is._**

**April 1st**

**Black is my favorite color. It's the color of shadows, of darkness. It's the only color that pulls you in while simultaneously pushing you away. It hides all my mistakes and fears. Hides all my secrets. And it illuminates the strength I pretend to have. Black is the color I wear. It is the color I draw with, the color I fear and embrace.**

"Would you lay off the Chow Mein?" Booth pulled the box across the table and his firearm report to get it away from Brennan's prying chopsticks.

"What? You haven't touched it in four minutes!" She protested, reaching over her desk to retrieve the noodles.

"So you were counting?" Booth teasingly moved the box in and out of her grasp.

"Yes, and legally I can claim the Chow Mein once you've displayed non-interest for at least four minutes." Her face betrayed only seriousness, but the playful glint in Brennan's eyes gave her away. "Now give it back."

"That's a load of crap." Booth shook his head and handed the box to her, studying his report in order to avoid her triumphant smile.

Brennan shrugged and took back the food. "Look it up."

The lab was mostly deserted and the partners had made a silent agreement to go to Wong Fu's fr a drink once the last dotted line had been signed.

"Really the idea should appeal to you Booth. Anthropologically speaking..." Brennan began, reaching for the knob on his radio and instantly filling the car with a heavy bass beat and hip hop lyrics.

"Go ahead Bones. Give me an anthropological justification for my teaching Zach to drive." Booth shook his head and turned left across traffic before reaching down to change the radio station back to the rock he'd been listening to.

"Because Booth," She slapped his hand away and smirked at his glare, "he is a younger male. By teaching him to drive you would be asserting yourself as an alpha over a less prominent member of the pack while simultaneously helping Zach feel his own source of pride and accomplishment at the attentions of the Alpha and learning to do something he thought he couldn't."

"Alpha? Pack? Bones we're not animals here, okay? Besides even if we were…Zach's a squint, I'm a cop. We wouldn't even be the same species."

"Oh really? And what _would_ you be?"

"Well obviously I would be a wolf or lion or something and Zach would be like…a baby koala."

Brennan frowned. "A baby koala?"

"Yeah. You know…kinda cute but generally useless in the wild." Booth nodded to himself as if that argument was perfectly logical and obvious.

Brennan got a sly smile and leaned over toward him. "You think Zach is cute?"

Booth opened his mouth to speak and then shut it, contemplating her meaning. Glancing at her, he turned red.

"Not like _that_! I mean like…in a baby koala kind of way. A…little brother…kid-I-don't-even-talk-to kind of way. Not like…_that_." He said hurriedly, changing his mind from wanting a beer when he got to Sid's to something a little stronger.

_She makes me drink._

Brennan was now swallowing her laughter on her side of the car and beaming at him.

"What are you doing?" Booth asked, her gaze was burning into his temple and doing nothing for his hot cheeks.

"Currently? Enjoying watching you squirm."

"Nice Bones. Real nice." The clipped edge of his voice made his irritation plain, even to her.

Brennan shrugged and turned to look at the road.

_Who would have thought big strong alpha protective Booth would be flustered at the mere mention of homosexuality. I mean…he's certainly not lacking in the masculinity area._ Brennan stole a glance at Booth, the sharp, handsome lines of his face were set in high contrast shadow every time they passed under a street light.

She felt her cheeks get hot and immediately chastised her physical reaction to Booth's presence. _Why am I blushing? It's a perfectly rational scientific observation. Booth is handsom…no, well structured. That's all. There's no use being embarrassed by the fact._

Brennan's thoughts were interrupted by the sound of Booth's cell phone and then prevented from continuing when he suddenly swung the large SUV in a sharp U-turn and headed back east.

"Got it Sir, we're on our way." He shut his phone and pushed harder on the accelerator.

Brennan released her white knuckle grip on the door handle and rearranged her seatbelt to be more secure, all the while glaring at her partner.

"Why is it again that I can't drive?"

-------------------------------

Booth walked away from the shallow grave on the beach of Harrington Bay to retrieve the small case file from another officer, while Brennan bent low and gently began brushing away the particles of sand.

"Ready?" She called over her shoulder, eyes wide and scanning every inch of the body she could see.

"Go ahead Bones." Booth stood behind her a few paces and took note of everything she said.

**F / 12-16yrs / Cauc./ dead approx. 1yr./**

**COD frac skull**

"Anything else you can give me?" He asked eagerly.

If there was anything he disliked about their partnership, it was that he was just about useless until she gave him a lead. And she couldn't give him a lead until she examined her bones. And she couldn't examine her bones until…

"No, I need to get the body back to the lab first." Brennan stood up carefully brushing off her clothes so as not to disturb the scene and completely unaware of the exasperated look Booth was giving her.

"I can't see much with the body half buried and I don't want to uncover it until I get it back to the lab." She turned to face him and he handed her the file to look at.

"Tell Forensics to get all the sand from one and a half feet around in all directions, including underneath. Hodgins will need as much as he can get." She mumbled, marching past him to the car and reading the short history of the case. Booth reiterated Brennan's instructions although they'd all heard the first time she said it, and then joined her in the SUV.

"Okay, so ready to buy me that shot of Scotch?" He asked grinning and turning the key as they pulled away from the crime scene. "The body won't make it to the lab until tomorrow because of all the sand they'll have to collect."

Brennan put down the file. "I thought it was beer and who said I was buying?"

"It was beer, it became Scotch after your whole 'cute Zach' thing and you're buying because I truly feel women and men should be treated equal." He said, placing a hand over his heart.

Brennan rolled her eyes. "So you're saying you would buy me a drink then?" She was looking out the window and didn't see the look that passed over his eyes when she said that, though it is doubtful she would have recognized it if she had.

"Anytime Bones. Anytime."

He smiled when all he got in return was the silent treatment and reached for the radio knob, instantly killing the harsh bass beat resonating in the car. Out of the corner of his eye he saw a small smile quirk her lips when the next song began to play.

_Figures. Bones likes the Grateful Dead._

**Black. The color of death, the color of my life. The color of my heart, hard and sheltered. I won't risk being broken again.**

**_So, let me know what you think, and just to be clear, the short comments at the beginning and end are NOT Booth or Brennan, but an OC that will be introduced later. _**


	2. Things Just got Personal

_**Glad people are intrigued, I am really enjoying this already. Oh and I don't own Bones or Nickelback...but it could change**._

**April 2nd**

**There's this song. I don't like it much…hits a little too close to home, ya know? But…I really _can_ hear her scream from down the hall. And it _is _amazing she can even talk at all. But she doesn't have to tell me to go back to bed. A pack of wild dogs couldn't drag me from the safety of my closet when he is like that.**

"Hodgins looked at the bug activity and places time of death around the end of summer last year." Brennan lead the way into her office and Booth sat in the chair in front of her desk.

"Well that would explain why the body was left undisturbed on the beach for so long. People were done with it for the summer." Booth absently rolled a set of dice between his fingers while he thought. "Have you got any information on the murder weapon or age of the girl?"

"No, I haven't let Zach clean the bones yet because Hodgins is still examining the remains of clothing and bio-matter. I'll have him take x-rays though."

"Sounds good, call me if you get anything. I've got some eye witnesses to hunt down." He said, getting up to leave.

Brennan nodded, half listening as she flipped through some papers on her desk.

"Shit." She muttered picking up a small white envelope.

Booth looked back at her. "What's the matter?"

She paused while she read the contents of the letter.

"This. Fan mail." She pursed her lips and waved the paper angrily.

Eye's wide, Booth tried to comprehend why she would be so upset with fan mail.

"Grr. Yeah…I hate fan mail too." He said slowly, a hint of a smile on his lips.

"No. It's annoying and intrusive. Look at this one. 'This last book of yours was really great'. Well, I already knew that or it wouldn't be on the best sellers list. And here, 'is you're real life FBI agent partner as hot as Andy?' Why do they keep making the connection between you two?" Brennan slumped into her chair and tossed the letter back onto the desk with a heavy sigh.

Booth's smiled. "C'mon Bones, there are worse things." At Brennan's glare he raised his hands in surrender. "Alright alright I'm going."

Just then Brennan's desk phone rang and she glanced at the caller ID before calling Booth back and putting it on speaker.

"Yes Angela?"

"Hey Bren, just wanted to let you know that I'm in my office with the vic's face. It's running through missing persons as we speak."

Within moments Booth and Brennan had arrived in Angela's office and were hovering expectantly.

"So…have you two admitted you're in love yet?" Angela smirked at her computer screen.

"What?!" They replied in unison, glancing at each other and then back at Angela.

"I'll take that as a 'no'." The artist looked at them, both red in the face. "It's just that once people start singing spontaneous duets in the middle of restaurants they are generally ready for Stage 1." She shrugged and continued squinting at her screen.

Brennan looked appalled and Booth slightly amused.

"Where did you hear about that?"

"Did they get it on camera?"

"Calm down Sweetie, you know I can find out anything I want to. And...yeah, we should check out the surveillance footage in the Diner, there might be something I can work with."

Booth nodded and ignored Brennan's fiery glare.

"That one." Booth pointed at a blinking picture of a smiling blond girl on the screen and Angela pulled up her drawing.

"Yep. That's her." She leaned in to read the information on the screen. "Courtney Alamang. God, she was only fourteen. Resident of Maryland daughter to…" Angela stopped and bit her lip.

"What is it Angela?" Brennan questioned, leaning in closer to read what Angela had been reading.

"Resident of Maryland daughter to Phillipa Alamang…deceased. Jonathan Alamang, incarcerated." Brennan straightened but didn't take her eyes off the screen. "The victim was a Ward of the State."

Booth's hands were poised on his hips and he sensed Brennan stiffen, a stolen glance revealed her expression as neutral as ever. But Booth knew better.

"Bones…"

"Angela can you print out the address of that foster home so we can go talk to them? Thank you." She turned and left the room quickly, leaving Angela and Booth staring after her, concerned about things to come and frustrated over what to do next.

------------------------

"Bones…you alright?" Booth asked quietly, busying himself with glancing in the rear view mirrors to avoid staring at his partner.

Brennan took a deep breath before answering, her hands folded neatly in her lap.

"Fine Booth. It's just another case okay?"

Booth raised an eyebrow. "You're sure? Because it wasn't just another case the last time it involved a foster child."

Brennan tensed and threw him an icy glance.

"What's that supposed to mean?"

"I mean you were emotional last time. You took it personal, it's understandable but it's not going to do anyone any good if you hide it."

"Booth," The edge of her tone was sharp enough to draw blood, "I'll put this in laymen's terms for your benefit. I. Am. Fine."

Booth glanced at her, the look in her eyes left no room for argument of any kind. At least, not if he valued his ability to see out of both his eyes.

"Alright Bones. Point taken."

The rest of the drive was spent in contemplative silence.

------------------------------

The house was plain. Small and set far back in a thick of Jack Pine trees. The front yard had remnants of grass here and there, but was mostly dirt. It was a single story set up with chipped white paint and moss growing on the roof. Obviously the owners didn't have a lot of money, but it didn't seem unsafe in any way. A small pink bike lay on it's side in the yard and a beat up truck sat parked in the driveway.

"Just let me do the talking okay?" Booth shut his door and met Brennan at the front of the SUV.

"You say that every time. Do I ever listen?" Brennan's teasing tone was back, but thinly masking her apprehension at approaching the foster home. Booth glanced at her, pulling off his sunglasses and pushing down an inexplicable urge to take her aside and somehow remove this pain from her.

"No, but I keep hoping one day you will." He reached up to knock and Brennan watched the door intently, responding in monotone.

"The definition of insanity is to do the same thing over and over expecting a different result."

"The cure for insanity is seeing a shrink." Booth responded, not missing a beat.

"Which obviously isn't helping." Brennan muttered, holding her breath as the doorknob began turning.

The large white door swung open and Brennan waited for Booth to hold out his badge and introduce them.

He didn't.

When she looked over at him she could se he was staring, mid reach for his badge, at the teenage girl who'd opened the door.

Hoping to find an explanation for his odd behavior, she turned back to the girl.

What first struck her was the black clothes, head to foot the girl wore black. Black boots under baggy black jeans with a silver chain dangling from one of the belt loops to her back pocket. The pants hung low on her bony hips and a black short sleeve shirt over a white long sleeve shirt covered her slight torso. Her thumbs were threaded through the ends of her shirt and Brennan noticed with chagrin the chipped black nail polish, indicating the girl was a nail-biter. A habit Brennan detested. The girl's pale face was framed with long jet black hair and set off by the copious amounts of dark eyeliner.

Brennan shifted uncomfortably. Neither the girl nor Booth had moved for several moments. Obviously something was going on, she just wished she had some idea what. Just as she was about to say something, the girl spoke.

"Seeley?" She had a voice that was quiet and calm, almost unnervingly so.

Booth slowly closed his mouth and blinked.

"April."

**I definitely wasn't expecting to see him when I opened the door, but I'm not complaining. I wonder if this is one of those times when my whole world is about to change.**

**_Curious? haha, me too. R&R por favor! (please!)_**


	3. Breaking the News

**_I'm absolutly thrilled to see so many people reviewing, especially people I've never heard from before, so THANKS! As for the million dollar question :Who is April?...lol, wouldn't you like to know?_**

**He looks different...but in a lot of ways, he looks the same. A little older, probably wiser, but still the same Seeley I knew. Still strong and handsome and he's got that playful twinkle in his eyes.**

"Am I missing something?" Brennan asked when another moment of silence had passed between them. She was partly irritated and partly concerned when she didn't get a response.

Shifting, she removed her hands from her pockets, trying to ignore the feeling of being more out of place by the moment. Booth had now reached up and removed his sunglasses, and was studying the teenage girl intently.

_She looks different._ He thought. _Well that's the understatement of the year._

Looks different would have been a different hair color, which she had. But April Ross didn't just look different…she felt different. The last time Booth saw her, aside from the funeral which didn't really count in his book, she had a head of light brown hair. It was pulled back so those dark green eyes showed and she wore a wide smile that brightened the whole room. She'd been twelve, wearing a yellow sundress and chasing lighting bugs on a warm summer night with a bunch of other kids at a picnic.

This April Ross wasn't the carefree girl he'd known four years ago. She looked like she knew too much, had seen too much, her innocence long since lost.

"What are you doing here?" Booth asked smoothly, momentarily forgetting why he himself was there.

April cocked her head to the side.

"I live here Seeley. What are you doing here?" Locks of black hair fell into her eyes, but the openness in her voice made up for it.

"I'm…um…" Booth frowned, he didn't want to remember why he was there.

"We're investigating a murder." Brennan interjected, when she felt Booth had stalled long enough.

April's eyes snapped over to Brennan for the first time and disappointment flashed in her eyes before it was quickly covered by a mask of apathy. A mask both Brennan and Booth recognized. A thin but hard mask of emotionless neutrality.

"Murder?" April paused and let her pale lips part in momentary shock. "Oh God...Courtney?"

"How did you know?" Brennan asked quickly, glancing at Booth, who for some reason was giving her a strange look.

April crossed her arms over her chest shifted her weight to her right foot.

"It's not much of a leap. You're investigating a murder, Courtney's been missing for almost nine months and everyone else is accounted for. Unless the FBI is investigating run away dogs now."

Booth cleared his throat before Brennan could respond, a mixture of disbelief and irritation in her eyes. She was right, he was there investigating a murder, his past with April would just have to wait.

"April do Rodger and Layla Dickens live here?"

The girl looked back at Booth and nodded quickly, turning to lead the way inside, her clunky boots thudding with each step. She'd only gone a few feet when a man appeared at the end of the hallway wiping his hands on a dishtowel.

"Who was at the door April?" He asked, approaching the trio but never taking his eyes of Booth.

This time he didn't hesitate, pulling his badge immediately from his waistband.

"My name is Special Agent Seeley Booth this is my partner Dr. Temperance Brennan." He glanced into the living room and saw a woman in her mid thirties sitting on the couch, brushing the hair of a girl, who looked to be about ten, on the floor between her legs.

"Is there somewhere we could talk to you and your wife privately?"

Rodger looked between Booth and Brennan a few times before nodding.

"Sure, we can do it in here." He turned toward the living room, "Jessica, you and April go upstairs to your room."

The little girl complied almost instantly, shooting up from the floor and blowing past Booth and Brennan to go to the stairs. April shot one more look at Booth before following up the stairs. Jessica immediatly went to the bedroom, but April, satisfied that the adults thought she was in her room, stopped on the top step and sat down where she was out of sight, but could hear every word.

"Mr. and Mrs. Dickens, do you know a Courtney Wilcox?" Booth asked as Brennan sat in a chair in the living room beside him.

Layla Dickens was first to react. "You've found her? She disappeared almost a year ago. Is she alright?"

"I'm afraid not Mrs. Dickens, Layla's body was found yesterday on a beach about fifty miles from here." Brennan answered quickly.

The woman's hand flew up to her mouth and Brennan narrowed her eyes in suspicion.

"Is she…was she…" Rodger Dickens began, a sad frown on his features.

"We believe she was murdered." Brennan stated. Booth looked over at her, her tone was cold and tactless, even more so than usual.

_Oh sure, she's fine._ He mentally rolled his eyes at his partner's stubbornness.

"How?" Layla asked quietly, tears reddening her eyes and rolling down her cheeks.

"A blow to the head." Brennan responded, again, before Booth could stop her.

"Bones…" He whispered. He didn't finish his reprimand though because a sob escaped from somewhere behind them and the four adults turned in time to see a blob of black dash down the stairs and out the front door.

The partners looked back at Mr. and Mrs. Dickens. The latter seemed extremely shook up, she kept staring at the floor shaking her head. Mr. Dickens on the other hand had stood and was reaching into his pocket, fumbling with a lighter for the cigarette that had suddenly appeared in his mouth.

"Do you know who did this?" Layla asked quietly. Booth shook his head.

"We were hoping you could help us with that. Can you think of anyone who would want to hurt Courtney? Did she have any enemies? Any new friends you didn't know very well?"

Layla shook her head emphatically. "No no, nothing like that. She was a sweet child. Smart, funny…we just…we thought she ran away…" She said quietly, her voice breaking. "She had a boyfriend though."

"Oh? And what was his name?" Booth asked, pulling out his small notebook and taking down the boy's name and address. Brennan ignored their whole exchange, still staring at Rodger. He puffed on his cig and closing his eyes, letting the nicotine calm wash over him.

"Mr. Dickens, you do know that smoking causes, among many other things, lung cancer."

Rodger looked over at her, a barely perceptible glint of anger in his eyes.

"Yes, I am aware…Dr. Brennan."

"Not just to you. Second hand smoke can be extremely detrimental to health, especially to that of children, of which you have at least two in the home. Does child services know you smoke in the house?" She stood and took on a defensive posture, her arms crossed over her chest, all her weight on her right foot.

Rodger took a long drag on his cigarette. "Look Dr. Brennan, Layla and I don't take in young kids. We think the older ones are overlooked. But unfortunately by the time we get them a lot are like April out there. Angry and difficult, irreparably damaged. Smoking is the only thing that keeps me going." He turned to Booth, who had a steadying hand on Brennan's forearm, which she promptly ignored.

"Irreparbly damaged?" Her eyes trained on Rodger, daring him to do something that would give her an excuse to hit him, "Did you ever stop to think these kids just need someone to care about them unconditionally? Did it ever occur to you not to think the worst of them before you even know whats going on? How scary it is to be in someone else's house in someone else's bed and believe you're never going to see your family again?" She felt Booth's hand tighten on her arm and finally shut her mouth, eyes wide at how much she'd just revealed.

Booth smiled apologetically at the couple, Layla now balling her eyes out, Rodger's fists drawn to his sides in anger.

"Thank you for your time. If you think of anything else, here's my card. Please call." He quickly handed off the card and dragged Brennan to the door.

Brennan didn't protest. She knew she'd gone overboard and would pay for it later. On impulse she glanced over her shoulder and up the stairs. Two big brown eyes stared down at her before disappearing back down the hall.

Halfway to the SUV, he stopped her.

"Bones go to the car, we'll talk later. First…I've gotta go do something."

Brennan followed his gaze across the yard to a spot on the grass where April was sitting cross-legged on a rusty metal bench, hunched far over something in her lap. She nodded and went to the SUV while Booth made his way over to the girl.

"Hey April."

Her back was facing him and she stiffened at the sound of his voice but then almost immediately relaxed.

"Hi." She resumed dragging a piece of soft charcoal across the large page of her sketchbook without looking up.

Booth frowned for a second before sitting down on the bench beside her.

"Been a while." He said awkwardly. He'd never had difficulty talking to people, but for some reason the prospect of talking to this girl was taking more out of him than even talking to Bones did most of the time.

"Since the funeral." She stated plainly, still refusing to look at him.

"Yeah…about that…"

"It's fine Seeley. You had Parker. It's not like I'm you're daughter or anything." She said, almost bitterly. Booth winced.

"April." No response. "Hey, April will you look at me please?"

She paused in her drawing and after a few seconds, looked over at him through strands of black hair.

Hesitantly, Booth reached up and pushed the hair behind her ear, revealing a vulnerable, almost angelic face.

"There you are." He said quietly, eliciting a ghost of a smile to don the girls' lips.

"What…happened to her?" April's eyes had suddenly gone misty and Booth drew his lips into a hard line.

"She died Sweetheart."

April hung her head. "I knew that." She nodded. "I mean…I heard your friend say it…and she's been missing for eight almost nine months. I knew she was dead." She resumed drawing and a few pieces of hair fell from behind her ear and were drug along the paper with each movement.

"I'd just hoped I was wrong. Stupid of me." She berated herself quietly.

Booth frowned and stayed her fingers with his hand. She looked up at him.

"Don't call yourself stupid April. Not now. Not ever. Your dad would never have allowed that." He told her firmly.

"Same old Seeley." April's face remained neutral but her eyes were smiling. "How have you been anyway?" She relaxed slightly and unfolded her legs from beneath her.

Booth sighed. "Good. Real good. Life's hectic as usual but okay. I work with a bunch of squints, but they're not so bad. Parker's really good too. He's starting school this year."

April nodded while blending her drawing carefully. When she didn't respond Booth tried to peer over her shoulder.

"What are you drawing?"

April's hand froze but slowly moved back so he could see. She revealed a very dark, striking charcoal drawing of a skull laying abandoned in a sea of diamonds and coins.

"Treasure?" He queried.

April nodded.

"Bones would love this." He said quietly, admiring the obvious talent April possessed.

"Bones?"

"Oh, my partner." He waved vaguely toward the SUV where Brennan was reading something and not facing them. "She works with bones. They're kind of her thing."

"She lets you call her Bones?" Amusement tinged her voice and April didn't need to look at him to sense his embarrassment. "That's kind of cute. I'll draw her one if you think she'd want it. This one's for Tommy though."

Booth raised his eyebrows. "Who's Tommy?"

A faint blush colored up April's pale cheeks and she flicked her dark green eyes over at him.

"Don't get mad." Booth narrowed his eyes and waited, "My boyfriend."

Booth groaned and let his head drop into his hands. "I was afraid of that."

That ghost smile returned to April's lips and she shrugged. "I couldn't help it Seeley. And it's not just 'cause he's cute either. And…he is cute." She flipped back in her sketchbook a few pages.

"Well…what else is it then?" Booth looked carefully at the sketch April was showing him of a dark haired, dark eyed boy with a strongly featured face. His eyes seemingly smiling while his mouth scowled.

"It's…everything." She stared at the picture and Booth wondered if she was even aware of his presence anymore. "It's the way he stares at me when he thinks I don't know. It's his charm, his intelligence. The way he holds my hand, how he pushes me but never too hard…It's the way he…" She glanced at Booth and her cheeks got red. "It's the way he kisses me." She finished quietly, shutting one eye and waiting for an outburst that never came.

"Well…that sounds really, really great April…as long as kissing is _all_ your doing." He added.

"It is. Don't worry Seeley." She paused hating that she was already lying to him, "His friends like me too."

Booth nodded and April returned to her original drawing, getting black charcoal all over her fingers and smudging her white t-shirt.

"How about your friends? Do they like Tommy?" He asked innocently, dreading the moment he'd have to leave her here. The area they were in was pretty secluded and rather dreary. He hated having to leave her here now that he'd found her again.

"Well…" She began quietly, tapping one foot slightly causing her silver chain to bang against the bench. "Courtney liked him. She was like a sister to me so that mattered a lot. Other than her, I don't really have any friends. I move a lot and…I don't need them anyway. Needing things only gets you hurt."

Booth stared at her, but behind a thick black curtain her face wasn't visible. Just as he was about to refute her statement a blue Sedan pulled up to the house behind Booth's SUV. A dark haired boy in a hooded sweatshirt and a jean jacket got out and headed toward them. A boy who looked surprisingly similar to the picture April had just shown him.

Booth looked over at April who was packing away her drawing things and standing, she wore the first real smile he'd seen on her since she opened the door.

"Hey baby." The boy said and April practically ran to him. His arms easily encircling her slight waist as he pulled her closer.

The kiss that ensued was enough to make Booth avert his eyes and blush ever so slightly. He looked over at his SUV and could see Brennan leaning out the window her eyebrows raised at him. Finally he stood, clearing his throat loudly.

April and Tommy sprang apart, wiping their mouths and blushing.

"Sorry Seeley. Baby, this is Seeley Booth. Seeley, this is Tommy Hopkins." April introduced the two men proudly and Booth reached out to take the younger man's hand, shaking it firmly.

"Seeley."

"Mr. Hopkins."

**I can't believe after all these years he's here. Standing in my front yard. Talking to me. I mean really talking. God…I've missed that.**

**_We'll there you go...Who April is specifically will be revieled in the next chap I'm pretty sure. _**


	4. That Past Comes Back

**_Again, thrilled at the reaction to this fic. HAPPY BONESDAY!!_**

**He's like breathing for the first time. He makes me feel…I don't know…special somehow. No one has ever done that for me before. When he looks at me, it's like the whole world disappears. And it's just him. Just me and Tommy.**

The two men sized each other up for a moment and Booth was both pleased and annoyed to find Tommy stood his ground under his penetrating gaze.

When they stepped back, Tommy gave a quick nod and Booth hooked his thumbs into his belt buckle, raising an eyebrow at the two teenagers. The boy's arm wrapped tightly around April's waist, April's hand with the black bracelets and silver rings, shoved into Tommy's back pocket.

He couldn't believe how grown up she was.

_She used to be just a little kid. Hell, she's sixteen. She is just a little kid._

"Umm…" April glanced between them nervously, "Well, Tommy and I have to go Seeley so…" She trailed off and shrugged one shoulder.

Booth looked at her. "Oh, right. I should start heading back to DC too. I've got to pick Parker up and drop Bones off at the lab."

April nodded. "Tell Parker I say 'hey'."

Booth smiled, nodding as he reached into the pocket of his jacket.

"Listen. Call me if you need anything ok?" He handed her his card, which she hesitantly reached out and took. "I mean it April. Anything."

April glanced at Tommy, who's soft dark eyes kept flittering back and forth between him and Seeley. She thrust the card back out toward him.

"You think, um…you got an address?" She intentionally stared past him at the ground but felt Booth smiling as he gladly took the card, scribbled his address across the back, and handed it too her.

April bit her lip and nodded. "Thanks Seeley. It means a lot."

Booth shook his head. "Don't mention it Bug."

Rolling her eyes in an unexpected display of normalcy, April smirked at Booth. "I can't believe you remember that."

"How could I forget?" The mischievous twinkle in his eye slowly faded as he glanced once more toward his SUV. "Listen I should really go…"

Suddenly a weight was pressed into his chest and Booth looked down, finding the top of April's head. She had her thin arms wrapped tightly around him, eyes shut tight.

"Bye Seeley." She whispered, knowing letting go of him would be one of the hardest things she'd had to do in a long time. While Booth's presence was a pleasant, and yet painful reminder of her past, she didn't know if she was quite ready to let go of it. Or him.

Booth glanced toward Tommy, who'd set off for his car, giving the two a moment of privacy. Quickly he bent low and placed a feather light kiss on the top of the girl's black hair.

"Bye April."

----------------------------------

The air in the SUV was ten times thicker than the air outside. The awkward and somewhat tense silence that had wrapped itself around the occupants was almost visible.

As the odometer clicked over to 46 miles Brennan sighed heavily.

"Well?"

Booth glanced at her. "Well what?"

She narrowed her eyes at him. "Well are you going to tell me who she is?"

Booth drummed his fingers on the steering wheel thoughtfully.

"Who who is?" He responded as innocent as possible.

Brennan let her hands form fists and frowned deeply, nearly scowling.

"Booth you're always telling me how we're partners in this. If we're partners then I deserve to know everything you know about things that are pertinent to the investigation."

Booth cut in. "Fine but I also say that to get something you have to give something. That's what partners do."

Brennan set her lips in a line and took a deep breath. "Fine. What do you want to know?"

"Well…"

"And it has to be relevant to the investigation, just like your past with April is." She added quickly.

Booth paused. "Admit this case is personal."

Brennan threw up her hands. "**How **exactly is that significant to the investigation? Because I believe that was one of my stipulations for this question."

"If you don't at least admit that this case is personal, that it is affecting you, you'll start doing things that could compromise said investigation. Things like say…jumping down the prime suspects' throat for smoking in the house." He gave her a pointed look, which she returned just as fiercely.

"Look Bones, there is nothing wrong with admitting a case hits close to home. I'm not asking you to take yourself off it, I'm not saying it makes you weak. All I'm telling you is that if you don't at least say it, out loud, it could throw you off your game."

"I'm not playing a game Booth." Brennan muttered, looking out the window.

Booth replied just as softly. "Neither am I Bones."

Brennan turned to look at him and met his eyes for a long moment.

She sighed heavily. "Fine." Brennan shifted in her seat a little and attempted to detach herself from the words coming from her mouth.

_I can't believe he gets to me like this. Damn him._

"I see every victim…"

"I know Bones I…"

"Will you let me finish?" She cut him off sharply and he shut his mouth with a click.

She sighed and tucked her hair behind her ears.

"I know each victim intimately. Not just how they died but how they lived. I see their faces and I feel a part of me has been lost with each set of bones that crosses my table…but… I was in the foster system for 2 ½ years. When the case has to do with street kids or foster kids…I don't just see the victim. I see…me." She was talking to the dashboard, her fingers sitting calmly on her thighs, giving a misleading outward appearance of tranquility, when in reality her pulse was racing and she felt like she couldn't breathe.

Booth's eyes had softened while listening to her and at the next stoplight he turned to look at his partner. Her chin was bowed, almost touching her chest and he itched to lift it and make her look at him. He wanted her to look at him so he could make her believe that he would never let that happen, she would never be bones on a table.

_Well, at least not unless it was for a **very** different reason._ He thought, a devilish smile almost making it too his lips. But one glance at her killed the sentiment instantly.

Brennan was trying desperately to hide it but Booth could tell. He could see the slight tremble of her chin and the way her cheeks were much redder than normal. The way her eyes fluttered shut so she could focus on breathing normally.

On impulse he reached out one hand and laid it over hers, expecting her to pull away. Instead, he was pleasantly surprised when she simply readjusted the position of her thumb so she was holding his hand in hers and smiled to herself.

"Your turn." Brennan looked over at him, but Booth had returned to watching the road. She felt him stiffen and tightened her grip on his hand, not allowing him back out now.

"April is my goddaughter."

Brennan's eyes widened and her mouth fell slightly open.

_Now **that **I wasn't expecting._

Booth took a deep breath and suddenly pulled into a large parking lot on the side of the road, knowing if he tried to do this while driving he was likely to cause serious injury to someone.

He shut off the car before continuing quietly.

"Her dad, Joey, and I grew up together. We were best friends, went to school together, got our first cars at the same time. When we graduated we went to the same college, joined the Army, became Rangers, served in the Gulf together." He cleared his throat and shifted in his seat but continued uninterrupted.

"When we got back I left the Army and got into the FBI, but Joey stayed in. He didn't get sent back over though, stayed here as a recruiter, moved to DC about five years before I did. He'd met Lauren before we left and were just getting serious when we were sent over. We got back, he and Lauren were married and about a year later they had April."

Brennan watched him from the passenger seat, but knew he was no longer with her in the car and was glad he'd had the foresight to pull over when he did.

"Cutest thing I ever saw, looked just like her dad from the moment she opened her eyes and grinned. I mean, I know they say kids that young can't smile, but I'm sure April did." A smile broke out on his face and he laughed wistfully. "She used to call me Uncle Seeley."

_Not anymore though._

"Anyway, when April was eleven…her mom was diagnosed with cancer." Booth's voice got dark and he studied the steering wheel intently, "She lived for a year after that when the doctors only gave her six months. But then…she got worse. Fast…April was only twelve when her mother died." He took a deep breath knowing the worst was yet to come.

Brennan squeezed his hand, willing him to continue and incapable of trusting her voice to tell him to do so. He licked his lips and squeezed them in return.

"Three weeks later…three." He sighed. "I…I guess the war messed Joey up more than any of us realized. Losing Lauren was like losing his anchor, what kept him sane." Booth started shaking his head slowly and Brennan dreaded to hear what he'd say next. "One day while April was at school…he ate his own gun." His own voice cut him off and Brennan's face contorted in confusion for half a moment before she understood.

"Booth." She said quietly, but he didn't seem to hear her.

"I'm her godfather. I should have taken her in. She doesn't have any other family, I should've…But…Parker had just been born, Rebecca and I were still trying to keep it together…I was overwhelmed. Didn't think I could handle it. Now…I just wish I'd tried."

Brennan watched as her strong partner slumped under the pressure of his own memories. Suddenly, in a moment of blinding clarity and social awareness, she knew holding his hand was simply not enough. After hesitating half a second, she reached over and hugged him. As hard and as long as she could.

**Oh man. I'm in trouble. He's giving me that look. Oh don't…shit. He's smiling that smile. There's no way I'm making it home on time tonight. Shit. I'm going to pay for that. But…Oh God…right now…kissing me the way he is...touching me the way he is...right now Tommy is makin' it so that I just don't care.**

**_You guys are the most stupendous reviewers, keep it up!_**


	5. Work will get you through this

**_Phew, you know what I love? Weekends. Weekends are great. And Pancakes...pancakes are good too. And waffles...and sausage...and milk..._**

**That's what I love about Tommy. Against all odds he still believes in things. He doesn't want to let me go home, and it's really very sweet of him. I mean…seriously. I should be thanking him for…well, so many things. But…I couldn't let him do that. Take me in. He might be able to protect me…but who will protect him?**

Booth watched as Brennan walked toward the Jeffersonian and stopped at the doors, turning to give him a small smile before disappearing inside.

He smiled down at his steering wheel, thanking the Lord above for sending him a woman like her. He would have to tell her one-day how good she is at listening. For all her faults, and inabilities socially, she was the only person he dared tell things like that. The only one he knew would only listen without judgment or seeking explanation.

_The only one. My only one._ He thought with a smile.

Just then the first raindrops started to fall. He cursed and set off for Rebecca's house.

Brennan walked slowly toward her office, her left hand, the one Booth had held to keep her grounded when the world started spinning, was balled into a fist while she tried to contain the tingly sensation running around on it.

Dropping her bag at the bottom of the platform steps, she swiped her way up onto the platform.

She didn't have her lab coat and her hair was loose and flowing, but then, she wasn't up there to make scientific observations. Brennan was there to allow herself a few self-indulgent moments with the victim. Something she rarely did and when she was done, she'd lock all those emotions away and focus on the details.

But now…

She stood at one end of the examination table, staring at the corpse. Hodgins had just finished taking remnants of clothing and other samples and Zach was studying the x-rays before cleaning the bones. So she stared at this rotting body, a body that did not deserve to be on her table.

_She was just a child._

She looked up at the drawing Angela had done of the girl taped to the monitor at the head of the table.

_She's pretty._

Then, looking back down at the remains, she changed the thought to past tense.

_She **was **pretty._

And Courtney Alamang **was** pretty. Angela gave her sparkling hazel brown eyes and plump, smiling lips. Her small nose set off small ears and attractive long brown hair.

Brennan looked over the skeleton on her table, anger rising in her belly.

_No one deserves this. To be brutally murdered. But least of all a child._

"Hey Sweetie, are you alright?" Angela swiped her way up onto the platform and went to stand next to her friend at the foot of the table.

"I'm fine. Why?"

Angela raised her eyebrows, her hands hanging loosely in her lab coat pockets.

"Because you're crying."

Brennan's hand flew to her eyes to confirm Angela's accusation.

"I was not. Technically crying implies tears have left the eyes, I was…tearing up." She said quickly, moving to the edge of the platform to gather her things and go to her office.

"Bren," Angela followed her to her office, "maybe you should…head home early today."

Brennan shot her a glare as she settled in at her computer.

"Sweetie, there's nothing wrong with taking a break every once in a while."

"Yes Angela but…" She was interrupted by Zach entering the office hurriedly.

"Dr. Brennan I think you should see this."

Nodding, Brennan grabbed her lab coat and breezed past Angela, who let out an exasperated sigh before following.

---

**The TV's on. That's not good.**

**---**

"Rebecca! C'mon…" Booth slammed his fist into his steering wheel as he pulled up to a four-way stop.

"Rebecca, this is **my** weekend with him! Why would you let him make plans when it's **_my_** weekend?"

He clenched his jaw and listened patiently, while honking his horn not-so-patiently at the old woman in front of him who couldn't seem to figure out whether or not she should be the next to go.

"Yeah right. Are you even sure he's ready for a sleepover. He's only four for crying out loud." He sighed. "Fine. Five next month but still…"

Finally the woman ahead of him made her way through the intersection and he decided to turn left rather than go straight.

"Oh yeah, sure, then I can be the bad guy. Rebecca…" _Deep breath Seeley._

"Okay. Can I at least say 'hi'." He tightened his hold on the steering wheel.

"Of course he is." He said sarcastically.

"Know what Rebecca? Don't give me that okay? Just…tell him I'll see him tomorrow." Pulling into his usual parking spot, he threw the car out of gear.

Booth snapped his phone shut and drummed his fingers on the steering wheel agitatedly for a few minutes.

_Okay. Count Seeley, c'mon. 1…2…3…Parker's having fun, that's what matters…4…5…6…And besides, with him at a friend's house tonight, you can work late on the case…7…April's case…8…well not really April's case, but kind of…9…_

He threw open his door and made his way inside the Jeffersonian, nodding to the security guards as he got to the Medico Legal Lab. The doors opened with a swish.

_…10_

_---_

**No! Please just leave her alone. She's just a kid. Leave her alone you bastard! She didn't do anything.**

**---**

Brennan tore her eyes off the x-rays in front of her long enough to look toward the door and watch Booth come through it.

"Booth I thought you had Parker this weekend." Angela said, smiling at her favorite FBI agent.

"Yeah, so did I." He said tersely, walking up behind Brennan. "Whaddayagot Bones."

Brennan turned to face him, a distressed look on her face.

"What is it?"

She put her hands on her hips, darting her eyes between the x-rays and Booth's face.

"There are fractures and breaks varying in age from eight months Peri Mortum to just before death." She thrust her finger out to the image and traced small tree like lines in the bones, "Most were not professionally set."

Booth's face darkened with a frown and he stared at the x-rays.

"She was abused." He said quietly.

Brennan nodded, taking a spot beside her partner to stare at the transparent pictures.

"Zach's cleaning the bones now, but I'm quite sure she was."

Booth gave a curt nod and started for the door.

"Wait Booth!" Brennan followed him out, skipping to keep up with him, "Aren't you going to call someone to arrest the foster father?"

Booth stopped short, his eyebrow raised in question. "What makes you think the father did it Bones? Are you jumping to conclusions?"

"No. Past experience indicates the father is usually responsible in these types of cases." She stated, her hands on her hips.

"Yeah, well, I'd love to Bones but right now I haven't got any evidence to support that theory. Have you?" He put his own hands on his hips and turned to face her. She opened her mouth to speak but frowned.

"Not yet." Brennan's face grew a smile and she turned and went to Angela's office where she'd gone to gather her things.

"Angela?"

"Yeah Bren?" Angela looked up, a few black curls falling into her face and she slung her sequened purple bag over her shoulder.

"When Zach finishes with the bones could you get with him, and since my conclusions point to a fist creating those fractures, find out how big the hand would have been and how much power was behind the blows."

Angela nodded and grabbed her keys.

"I'll get right on it tomorrow morning Sweetie."

"Thank you." Brennan turned to leave and then turned back toward Angela while Booth watched from the doorway. "Tomorrow morning?"

"Yeah," Angela grinned, "Jack's got something special planned for our date tonight so I'm leaving." Her smile faltered at Brennan's appalled expression and she glanced at her watch.

"Look Sweetie, it's already almost seven o'clock. I've really got to go."

"Angela, this case is important, Zach will be done with the bones tonight…"

"No he won't be Bren. Cam sent him, all of us, home. Said she want us out of here by…well…seven, so we won't be staying here that late…"

Brennan tensed her jaw and practically ran out of Angela's office, purpose and danger in her step. Booth jumped out of the way and watched her go wincing at what Cam was in for.

"Dr. Saroyan." Brennan barked, Cam looked up from a conversation she was having with the administrator from another wing of the museum.

"Just one moment Dr. Brennan." She held up a finger, which Brennan promptly pushed out of the way, her eyes nearly melting the skin on it. Unfortunately, Cam didn't catch the War Path Vibe coming off Dr. Brennan.

"I would appreciate it if you not give my team instructions without my knowledge or input, Dr. Saroyan." Brennan said edgily, her arms crossed over her chest.

Sighing, Cam smiled apologetically at her collegue. "I've really got to deal with this Greg."

"No problem Cam." The man smiled at Brennan nervously, the scientists' reputation preceded her in most areas of the building and he excused himself quickly.

After the man had walked away Cam turned to Dr. Brennan, folding her arms across her chest in a like manner.

"Well, Dr. Brennan, now that I've ended my conversation with the Head of Archeology and Preservation, what can I do for you?"

"My team works until the job is done or until I think they need a break, they don't need you to give it to them."

"Yes. They do," Cam responded, matching the anthropologist confrontational tone. "Not everyone can work for twelve hours on end, Dr. Brennan. I need my scientists at the top of their game, and that inevitably includes leaving the lab at a decent time, getting some sleep and relaxing."

A few feet away, Angela and Booth stood side by side, watching the scene and trying to hide slightly amused smiles. After a moment, Angela elbowed the agent in his ribs.

"You better stop her before Cam ends up with a flying kick to the back of the head."

Booth nodded. "Way ahead of you."

"Hey Bones! Chill." He took walked over to the feuding females and reached out for his partner. Taking his life into his hands, he grabbed Brennan's shoulders, and tried to turn her away from her red faced boss.

"Booth I'm not at all warm and I was in the middle of…" She tried to wiggle out of his grip but Booth held fast as he pushed her toward her office.

"You were in the middle of creating a war with the head of the Forensic Department for no reason alright?" She turned to glare at him.

"What are you talking about Booth? She had no right…" Brennan slammed her pen and paper angrily on her desk, causing Booth to wince.

"I know Bones. I know, but listen, the Squints are already gone for the night, you can't do anything until the bones are done, the bones won't be done until tomorrow morning..." This earned him a grumble from the angry anthropologist. "So why don't you call it a night huh? Lets go get something to eat, you need to relax a little."

Brennan had stripped herself of her blue lab coat and sat hunched in her chair, staring blankly at her computer screen. The anger on her face replaced with a neutral apathy.

"I can't." She said quietly.

Booth frowned at her defeated tone and went to her side of the desk, carefully turning her chair toward him.

"Can't what?" He asked, studying her face carefully, but with her eyes downcast he couldn't read her as easily.

Brennan sighed and hesitated just long enough to get Booth to kneel in front of her. She gave a tiny roll of her eyes and pushed auburn hair behind her ears.

"What is it Bones?" Booth asked quietly, the enormous sadness coming off his partner at that moment scared him.

"I just…I need to work Booth. That's all." She motioned vaguely toward the platform. "This case…I need to work." She stated firmly, looking at him, hoping he would pose a solution to her dilemma.

Booth gave her a half smile.

"Okay. Believe me I understand. That's why I got a background check on both the Dickens and ran down a list of family and friends for Courtney. We've got enough paperwork to read to last us all night. How about a beer back at my place?"

Brennan brightened, though she tried to convince herself it was at the prospect of working and not at drinking with Booth.

After all, what was so great about that?

"Just let me get my coat."

---

**I wish I could shut my brain off to the pain. I don't want to see her crying and I don't want to see the bruises. The blood. I wish…I wish…oh who cares? It's too late for wishes and hopes and dreams. Maybe this time I'll get lucky and I won't wake up.**

**---**

**_Duh...duh...duh...well, you've done one 'R', care to complete the other?_**


	6. I hate Thunderstorms

**_The response to this fic has been phenomenal. I'm SO glad. Now, the show must go on!_**

**It's weird when things finally click inside your head. I don't know how many times I've been here before. Alone, in the dark that is my only friend, waiting…just waiting. I mean, I've been here so many times before. Had it worse even. So what was it about this time that was so different. What made me decide that I was tired of being scared and tired of being hurt.**

**Maybe it was because he came back.**

"Mmm…" Brennan pounded down the last of her beer and motioned to Booth urgently with the paper in her hand.

"Look at this. School nurse treated her several times for a blood nose. That's indicative of repetitive trauma to the cranium."

Booth stared blankly for a moment and then smiled. "So…common in people who get hit on the head a lot."

Brennan let her mouth go slack slightly and tried to decide if she'd missed something.

"Yes…" she said slowly, "I just said that."

Booth shook his head, smiling down at his pad while he wrote the nurse's name for questioning. "No Bones. You didn't."

Rolling her eyes, Brennan stood and took their empty beer bottles to the kitchen along with their plates from the light dinner Booth had put together.

In the kitchen, she paused and braced herself against the sink, her last remaining shred of self control finally falling away as the rain repeatedly slapped at the window.

She felt she'd done remarkably well. All night Booth had been looking at her, a mixture of sadness and concern in his eyes, though she was pretty sure only the latter was meant for her. Even so, she'd been able to carry on their normal banter and they had put together a pretty substantial list of suspects, motives and done more positing of scenarios than she wanted to admit to.

Still, as much as she wished it weren't, this case was painful. She could feel it sinking down into her chest and squeezing every unpleasant emotion and memory she had, right back to the surface. Right where they didn't belong and where she didn't want them.

Now, in Booth's kitchen by herself for the first time that evening, she could feel her resolve to remain detached crumbling and her shoulders shook ever so slightly, her heart pounding in the silence.

---

**I am soaking wet. I really hate thunderstorms.**

**I can't believe I'm doing this.**

**---**

Booth watched Brennan from the doorway, leaning against it with his hands in his pockets.

_She lasted longer than I thought she would. Tough girl, my Bones is._ He smiled at this and then his eyes zeroed in on the trembling of her slight frame.

He frowned and silently approached her from behind. Brennan must have sensed his presence because before he had a chance to touch her she straightened, throwing her shoulders back and swiping a hand across her face quickly.

"I'm fine Booth." Efficiently avoiding Booth's intense stare, Brennan turned and tried to move around him. Booth was having none of it.

Without a word he closed his fingers around her arms and pulled her back to him, wrapping her in a tight hug, wishing the pain that had thickened the air in his apartment for the past few hours would just disappear. For once in his life he wished this case had fallen under someone else's jurisdiction.

After a few seconds he felt Brennan relax and wrap her arms around him, pushing her face into his chest.

"Booth?" She muttered after a few moments, her voice muffled and soft.

"Yeah Bones?" Booth rested his chin on the top of her head and drew slow circles on her back with his fingertips.

"This isn't a guy hug is it?" Her voice became clear as she pulled back just enough to look at him.

Hesitating, Booth thought about how to answer this question.

_Say 'yes'. Say yes say yes sayyessayyes!!_ His mind screamed.

"No Bones. It's not."

_Shit._

Brennan tore her gaze away from his deep, concentrated, enveloping gaze and glanced around the kitchen, trying to put her thoughts in place.

Surprisingly, that comment did not elicited the panic she expected. It scared her, yes, and she knew she'd stiffened in his arms…but that was it. There was no ringing in her ears, no pounding in her chest…she didn't have the sudden urge to hide in some dark corner of her mind until he grew bored and walked away.

Surprisingly enough…she felt like smiling.

_Aww who am I kidding?_ She wondered, slightly amused and very nervous.

Booth watched several emotions play in her eyes and refused to let go when she her body got stiff as a board in his arms.

"Bones?" He tried, half afraid she'd turn and walk away, half afraid she'd look up and kiss him.

She didn't do either. Instead, at the sound of Booth's voice she turned to him, preventing a smile by biting on her lip.

"Good."

He smiled.

"Because I would hate to think you hug your guy friends like this."

The smile faltered.

"Plus…I'm not a guy."

He shook his head and his eyes fell to the floor.

"And Booth…" She waited for him to look at her, he was surprised to find her smiling, "I'm glad you noticed that little detail."

Her eyes were dancing and Booth almost couldn't believe his ears.

_Did she just say what I think she said?_

"Bones, I..."

Brennan pressed a finger to his lips and pulled out of his grip.

"You drew a line Seeley," She continued smiling, so Booth did as well, "But I hope you won't mind if I stick to my usual pattern of ignoring you and say that I feel it too and I'm not running. I'm just tired and I want to go home and think."

_And scream and jump around like an idiot and hit things and cry and eat a ton of ice cream._

Booth stood with his mouth hanging open as she left the kitchen and went to the living room, gathering her papers, bag and coat.

"Temperance…where are you going?"

"I just told you Booth, home. It's eleven thirty."

Still in a daze Booth watched as she went to the door.

"You'll pick me up at eight then?" She turned and looked at him expectantly.

After a moment his mind caught up to what she was saying.

"You mean…like a date?" He asked uncertainly.

Brennan shrugged.

"Don't sound so surprised Booth. I could rip your clothes off and take you right here," Booth's face turned a bright shade of red but Brennan didn't seem to notice, "but you being the traditionalist, I just assumed you'd want to go on a date first. Although, don't expect me to be one of those girls you walk to the door and give a kiss goodnight while I fidget with my keys. I don't like to wait Booth." Brennan raised her eyebrows and placed a hand on the doorknob.

"Alright?" Receiving a stunned nod from her partner Brennan smiled and slipped out the door. Heaving a deep sigh of relief when it clicked shut, she closed her eyes and grinned.

_Oh. My. God._

Booth swallowed hard and shut his eyes, rubbing a hand over his face.

_Holy shit._

_---_

**The address is the same. The car is the same. This is the place.**

**God, what am I doing?**

---

Booth finished cleaning up their papers and stuck them inside the folder, tossing them on his kitchen table as he headed for the bedroom, rubbing his face tiredly.

_Man, I'm exhausted. Of course…I kind of doubt that I'll be doing any sleeping tonight...What that woman does to me..._

He smiled as another picture of Brennan popped into his head.

_She sure is something else._

Booth quickly changed into a pair of sweatpants and a loose t-shirt before heading to the bathroom to brush his teeth. Just as he was wiping his mouth he thought he heard a knock at the door.

Glancing at the clock, he meandered out to the living room.

_Well that lasted fifteen minutes._

He started speaking before he even had the door all the way open.

"You know we could consider tonight as our first date and get right to…" He stopped short.

"Gee Uncle Seeley, I'm flattered and all, but I'm taken." April shrugged and tried to smile at him, glad she hadn't had to start with something stupid like 'Hi'.

"April?" Booth's goofy grin fell off his face and was replaced with a pensive stare. April's black hair clung to her face and her oversized black coat was dripping and creating a little lake at her feet. An involuntary shiver shook her petite frame and she clamped her jaw shut to keep her teeth from chattering against themselves.

"Come in here." He motioned quickly and she obliged, shuffling inside the apartment and absently twirling her metal ring around her finger.

"I know you said to call if I needed anything, but I was hoping you wouldn't mind if I just showed up." She glanced up at him and Booth almost gasped.

She'd never looked more like her father in her life than she did in that moment and Booth mentally shook himself, saying over and over that Joey wasn't in the room with him. Although he wasn't sure he believed it.

Likeness to his dead best friend aside, what rattled Booth th most was April's emerald green eyes. Usually sparked with fire and defiance, they now looked dull and lifeless. In spite of the small smile on her lips, the whole rest of her seemed defeated and small.

"Uncle Seeley?" She raised her eyebrows at his piercing stare and Booth blinked.

"Um yeah. Why don't we get you out of these clothes huh? Hold on a sec." Giving her one last concerned glance he headed off to his room.

April allowed herself to wince for the first time, carefully and slowly pulling off her coat. When the thunder clapped outside she shut her eyes. His face popped into her mind. His hands. Her screams.

Sometimes the flashbacks were worse when she was awake.

"Hey, you alright?"

April jumped when Booth's voice was suddenly behind her and shrunk away from his outstretched hand.

"Yeah, I'm fine." She reached for the clothes in his hands and held them away from her wet body. "Umm…you got a bathroom?"

Booth nodded. "Yeah…this way." Still frowning, he led the way down the hall to the first door on the left. He opened the door and flicked on the light. "There's towels under the sink."

April quickly moved inside, taking pains not to touch him and started to shut the door when Booth put a hand out to stop it.

"You're going to tell me what's going on right?"

April turned away.

"Do I have to?" She asked in a small voice, contemplating the idea of lying. But she knew that was pointless.

---

**Seeley can always tell when someone is lying. **

**The Bastard is going down this time.**

**---**

"April, you just showed up at my door in the middle of the night during a thunderstorm. Yeah. I'd say an explanation is mandatory."

April smiled at the carpet and gave a miniscule nod of her head.

"Okay." She whispered, and shut the door with a click.

Carefully laying out Booth's clothes on the April, she let her mind go blank. On autopilot she examined them. A baggy college basketball shirt, probably too small for him but would be like a nightgown on her, and a pair of blue jersey shorts. She glanced up at herself in the mirror and frowned at her pale complexion, mascara running down both sides of her long face and smudged off to the side where she'd tried to wipe the rain away.

Leaning far over the sink, April pulled up the bottom of her shirt and winced at the ugly black and purple bruise just below her ribs, swelling and growing larger by the moment. She grimaced and contemplated her clothing, cursing herself for wearing such tight shirts and heavy boots.

---

**This is gonna hurt.**

**---**

Ten minutes passed and there had still not been a sound from the bathroom. Booth paced his living room restlessly, simultaneously imagining and pushing away reasons for April's late night visit.

On his third 'count to ten' in three minutes, he stopped and closed his eyes.

_C'mon Seeley. Don't jump to conclusions, just like Bones always says. Wait for her to come out and tell you what's wrong._

But that was proving to be harder than he'd anticipated, especially since confirming that Courtney had been physically abused. Booth tried that for about another minute and a half but he'd had it. Turning to go check on April again, he stopped when there was another knock at the door. This time he opened it before speaking.

"Bones?"

"Hi." Brennan smiled. "I was just thinking…that maybe we could consider today our first date and just…"

"Satisfy biological urges?" Booth said with distaste.

Brennan shook her head slowly, stepping inside the apartment and inside Booth's personal space.

"No. Make love."

Booth caught his breath, and for the fourth time, closed his eyes to count to ten. Only this time, for a completely different reason.

"You have no idea how much I want to Bones but…"

_But? But! Oh God what have I done?_

Immediately she stepped away, pulling her bag closer, protecting herself.

"I'm sorry Booth. Never mind." She looked at the ground and started toward the door. "I'll see you tomorrow."

Booth opened his eyes and promised to smack himself later.

"Bones, Bones wait." He grabbed her elbow and shut his opened door. "It's not whatever you're thinking."

"Oh, you read minds now?"

He ignored her and continued. "It's just that April just showed up a minute ago and I need to…figure out what's going on." The pained expression on his face deepened when he remembered the way she'd flinched away from him the first time he reached out to her.

Brennan blushed and felt relief wash over her like a cool breeze. "Oh. Okay."

Booth looked thoughtful for a moment.

"Could you do me a favor Bones?"

Brennan narrowed her eyes. "Like what?"

"Could you…check on her? It's been almost fifteen minutes and she hasn't come out…She won't open the door to me."

Brennan's eyes widened.

"Why would you want me to do it? I-I don't know anything about…" She started shaking her head and backing away.

Booth stepped forward and held her shoulders. "Please Bones. She…" He took a deep breath, his emotions were really getting the better of him. Maybe he needed another drink.

"Just…please. Temperance."

Brennan looked into his eyes and sighed. She really couldn't be expected to refuse him when he looked at her like that.

She nodded and put down her coat and bag before heading down the hallway to the bathroom.

"April?" She knocked softly. "It's Dr. Brennan. Is everything alright? Do you need some help?"

After a few moments of silence she heard clothes shuffling and the lock on the door being disengaged.

**_Ha! Brennan want's to jump his BOOONNES!! Well, get in line sweetie. _**


	7. Booth's Girls

**_Okay suedo, here it is...MORE! lol._**

---

**I really should have thought this plan through a bit more. I'm here and I'm in his bathroom and I have no idea what I'm doing…Shit…Rodger's gonna come after me for this... What am I doing?**

**---**

April heard the female voice at the door and lifted her chin.

"Is everything alright? Do you need some help?" The voice asked, it was Dr. Brennan.

_Yes._ April's mind immediately answered. She did need help. At the moment she was curled up in a ball on the floor, hugging her legs tightly, waiting for something to happen. She had noticed, though, that Booth had a pretty clean bathroom floor.

She thought a moment. April wasn't a stupid girl, she knew she couldn't get her clothes changed by herself and she'd almost lost feeling in her hands and feet, she was so cold.

So finally, she heaved herself to her feet, wincing at the exertion and went to the door.

Brennan threw a reassuring smile to Booth who was pacing at the end of the hallway, before slipping inside. April looked quite out of place against the brightly lit red and blue bathroom as she stood motionless in the middle of the floor.

_Booth likes his bathroom almost as flashy as his socks._ Brennan mused silently.

"Seeley sent you?" April asked, her dark green eyes studying a spot just to the right of Brennan's head.

"He was worried about you, he said you wouldn't come out."

April nodded, a soft smile coming to her pale lips.

"I didn't mean to worry him." She started to shrug but thought better of it and turned to fiddle with the clothes on the counter. "I just…needed some time to think, that's all."

Her voice kept dropping off at the end of sentences and Brennan strained to hear, but at that moment she was more interested in April's movements than her conversation.

"Can you hold your arms out?" Brennan asked, stepping forward and studying April's torso intently.

Involuntarily backing away, April drew her arms down to her sides. "Why?"

Brennan paused. "I'm an anthropologist."

Raising one eyebrow, her black fingernails dug into the palms of her hands.

"So? I'm an artist." April stated matter-of-factly. "Can I see your brain?"

Brennan took another step forward. "Just…please hold out your arms."

April stared at the woman for a few seconds, but when it became obvious she wasn't backing down, she sighed and did as she was told.

Brennan reached out and took hold of April's arms, gently pushing up the sleeves of the her wet shirt. Her eyes widened as her suspicions were confirmed, red and yellow scars along with large purple bruises in the shape of hands were imprinted on April's pale forearms.

Seeing her reaction April immediately pulled away and pushed her sleeves back down.

"I fell." She said automatically as she turned to face the wall.

_I fell? That's the best I can come up with?…a tough game of croquet would be more likely…why am I still protecting him?_

"April, I know you didn't fall. Those bruises are in the shape of hands."

April shivered again but otherwise didn't move, her arms still crossed over her chest with her back to Brennan.

"I fell." She repeated evenly.

_What the hell? I did it again!_

Brennan sighed studied the girl's back for a moment, her wet hair still dripping intermitently and keeping her shirt soaked.

"April, I understand you don't want to tell me…but you can't keep lying."

April spun around and found Brennan sitting on the edge of the tub, her hands clasped with her elbows on her knees.

"What makes you think I'm lying?" She asked boldly.

_Why am I so angry? I_ am _lying!_

"Because I've been there April." Brennan replied calmly, repressed tears stinging her eyes. "I was put in the foster system when I was fifteen."

April's gaze softened and she sat on the toilet lid, waiting for Brennan to continue.

_Deep breath. Do this. Do this for April, for Booth. Do this for you._

"About a year and a half afterward I was placed with a couple named the Warrens. Mr. Warren had a drinking problem and he used to…beat my foster brothers and I relentlessly. After about four months he died in a drunk driving accident and I was moved to another home. But for four months I was just like you April. Hiding every bruise, covering every scar. But he's not worth it. April, men like Mr. Warren and Rodger don't deserve our protection." She looked up from the spot on the floor she'd been staring into and found April hunched over on the toilet seat, tears dropping one by one off her eyelashes.

"I'm sorry that happened to you." April said in a voice just below a whisper, gasping for breath the tears had robbed from her.

Brennan nodded and blinked back the moisture in her own eyes.

"Me too April, and I'm sorry for you. But I promise you're safe now. Booth won't let anything hurt you." Brennan spoke with absolute confidence and both of them believed her.

"I know he won't." She smiled slightly and wiped her eyes with the back of her hand. "When I was eight I came home from school crying because a boy had made fun of me at recess. I told my parents and Uncle Seeley heard about it. My dad ended up having a harder time dealing with him than me! All he wanted to do was go down to my school and make the kid pay…but Dad convinced him that scaring a nine-year-old boy wouldn't be good for his career in the FBI."

She smiled, bowing her head as she looked down at her shaking hands. "Uncle Seeley always was the hothead."

"Meathead is more like it." Brennan smirked and April laughed for the first time. Brennan sat straighter, proud she'd brought that smile to the girl's face.

"Alright." She said, standing. "You ready to take those wet clothes off?"

April's smile fell away, but she nodded, standing as well.

Brennan went to the medicine cabinet behind the mirror and rummaged around for a moment and came out with scissors.

"What the…" April jumped away. "What are you doing? This is my favorite shirt!" She gestured to the tight black tee with the faded skull and crossbones in the middle. Brennan had almost turned it into confetti.

"I'm sorry April but with your injuries this shirt is simply not coming off over your head." When she was still reluctant Brennan rolled her eyes, "I have a friend who I'm sure could help you find another, okay?"

Finally April stood still and allowed Brennan to destroy her precious shirt. Then she helped her out of her black pants and boots, all heavy with moisture.

April tried not to notice Brennan trying not to react to the horrendous state of her stomach, ribs and back. Not only were her ribs and spine easily visible every time she drew air into her lungs, but her thin skin that was a deathly white on the rest of her body, was splashed here and there with a dark shade of violate or crimson red.

She looked like what one might expect a soccer ball to look like if it had a human form. Brennan had seen worse…but not usually on someone still alive.

Her clothes were gone, her black cloak of anonymity that usually kept her so safe. She was naked, in every sense of the word and her humiliation was deafening.

Brennan helped the girl towel off and April resigned herself to standing completely still and putting her mind in another place.

---

**I saw the sunrise over the Atlantic once. Dad had a brief posting in Florida and the base was right on the water.**

**One day I was up all night with an ear infection and mom took me out on the beach, hoping the fresh air would do me some good. We sat on a blanket on the cool sand and I remember being simply fascinated that the sand could be so red hot during the day and cool as ice in the morning. I sat there with mom and we watched the sun come up. The most beautiful shades of yellow and orange and red…I swear there's nothing else like it. It took my breath away and I spent the rest of first grade trying to capture the scene with finger paint and crayons.**

**Even though mom hung up every single one of those pathetic little attempts at art…none of them were quite right. I guess it's because you can't paint a moment, a feeling…the warmth of the sun and the coolness of the sand. You can't recreate how safe you feel when you're wrapped up in your mother's arms, watching a sunrise over the ocean.**

**---**

April hissed as Brennan pulled the t-shirt over her head and her hand flew to the offending spot. Pulling back her fingers, she cursed.

"He got me."

Brennan finished threading her hands through the arms of the shirt and caught sight of April's bloodied fingers. Without a word, her lips pursed in the same hard line as they had been and she tilted April's head toward the light.

_This poor girl. I can't believe what this monster did to her._

"Well…" Brennan muttered, inspecting the wound carefully through the mass of black hair, "it doesn't look like you're going to need stitches or anything, but you're going to have one helluva headache tomorrow."

April rolled her eyes, pulling her long hair back into a ponytail.

"Yeah. What else is new?" Then, glancing at herself in the mirror and her shredded clothes on the floor. "Thanks by the way. I mean…I literally couldn't have done this without you."

Brennan smiled and nodded, halfway to the door before she realized she wasn't being followed.

"April?"

April, now swimming in oversized men's clothes and her hair pulled back showing her angelic face, looked more like a child than ever before.

"I just…I know I shouldn't be…but…I don't want to tell him…Idon'twannatellhim I really really don't." She said all in one breath, dropping her face so she could hide the tears both women knew were there.

Brennan went back over to her and took one of April's cold hands into her own.

"April. You can do this."

April lifted her chin and Brennan frowned at the doubt in her eyes.

"Really. Booth is the best listener I've ever known. I believe in him more than most things in my life. He'll always be there for you." She said confidently, giving what she hoped was a reassuring smile.

"You have a lot of faith in Uncle Seeley."

Brennan opened her mouth to object but April threw up an eyebrow and tilted her head to the side.

"What?"

April's stare deepened and was tainted with a smirk. Brennan sighed.

"Fine. Yes. I have lots of…that in Booth. But…he can't ever find out or his ego will outgrow his head and we'll be cleaning gray matter off the walls for weeks." She said flatly, turning to leave, a smile in her eyes.

But April surprised her by squeezing her hands just as she pulled away and looking up hopefully.

"Will you…um, will you stay?"

Brennan blinked and paused for a moment. "Yeah. Yeah, of course I'll stay." She nodded and April smiled.

"Okay."

_Here goes nothin'._

Booth paced a circle around his living room. His whole body felt like it was tingling and he couldn't sit still. He hated this feeling.

It was uselessness.

_Where are they? What could they possibly be doing?_ He questioned over and over, never receiving a satisfying answer and not wanting to go back and listen to the conversation, he was content with wearing a hole in his living room carpet.

Finally, after almost an eternity he heard the bathroom door open and Brennan emerged, followed closely by April.

"Hey." He said quietly, approaching them. He noticed Brennan's eyes were red rimmed and he wondered what had gone on in that room to make his Bones cry.

_Both of them look like they've been crying._

April's face was clean of all makeup, her thick hair pulled back from her pale face. He hadn't seen her look that childish since she was ten. It made him want to pull her into a hug and never let go.

"Everything all right?"

_Stupid question, of course everything's not alright._

Brennan glanced at April and April looked at the floor. She reached up to push a piece of imagined hair behind her ear in a nervous gesture and Booth caught sight of it.

"God, April." He whispered, stepping forward he grasped one of her hands, then the other, staring at the awful looking bruises. "April who did this to you?"

_As if I don't already know._

"Did Rodger do this?"

_I'll kill him._

Booth struggled to keep the hostility out of his voice, but it was a losing battle.

Brennan was proud to see April bring her eyes to Booth's and never falter. She shrugged her good shoulder.

"I got home late." She said simply.

Concern and anger fought for dominance in Booth's eyes.

_He's a dead man._

He wanted to snap Rodger in half, beat him to a bloody pulp and see how _he_ liked it. But he also wanted to wrap April in a hug and protect her forever.

One look into his goddaughter's eyes and concern won.

_Not the time Seeley. April needs you now, end Rodger later. _He stepped toward her.

"Booth." Brennan stopped him and he looked at her.

"What is it Bones?"

She swallowed hard, her eyes still glassy. "There's more."

Booth cringed, but nodded, stepping back to take in whatever his girls were about to present him with. He was quite sure he wasn't going to like it.

April looked at Brennan, who nodded. Chewing her bottom lip, she reached for the hem of her shirt.

---

**Moment of truth, here I come.**

**---**

**_Oh the angst. The angsty angst that seems angsty. _**


	8. Never Alone

_**Okay, here's the next chapter and it is dedicated to my Boneyard Sis, LOONY aka Bellabun. XP**_

---

**My heart is pounding in my ears. My blood is racing, hot and loud. I don't want him to have to see me like this.**

---

Booth felt nauseous. His eyes traced April's bony figure while she held the shirt up for him to see. Her stomach and sides descending far below the waistband of her shorts and no doubt far above where the shirt stopped, were riddled with ugly black and purple bruises, the likes of which he hadn't seen in quite some time. And the few times he had, had never left his memory.

Brennan slowly turned the girl and pushed her shirt up to her neck so Booth could see her bare back. More bruises, more scars and Booth felt more dizzy and light headed.

April turned back around, pulling unconsciously at the shirt, now hanging loosely to her frame. She stared at the floor and waited for the ringing in her ears to stop.

The room was thick with silence, which Brennan gladly broke. Something had been bothering her from the moment she saw the first bruise on April's arms.

"April, is there someone else at your house? Someone besides Layla and Rodger?" Brennan herself felt sick to her stomach at the thought of the little person who belonged to those eyes she'd seen at the top of the stairs. Afraid and alone with the man who did this to April.

"Jessica, my foster sister…she's only ten." April took a deep breath, still staring at the ground. "She's not there right now though. She'll be safe tonight, Layla took her to the hospital."

"Hospital?" Booth choked out. April nodded but didn't look up.

"Tommy and I…stayed out late. Too late. Rodger freaked…Jessica…she didn't deserve that. She didn't even do anything…she just…got in the way. She and Layla will be at the hospital the rest of the night I'm sure." Her voice wavered between a whisper and just above, but her eyes never left the floor.

After a few moments of silence April gathered the courage to look up and found her strong Seeley teary eyed before her.

"Seeley?"

The sound of his name on her lips, said in her small, smooth voice finally did Booth in. The tears overflowed and a sob escaped his throat. A crushing feeling in his chest caused him to stumble backward a few steps and sit on the edge of the couch.

"I'm sorry April. I'm so sorry, I should have been there." He shook his head. "I'm so sorry."

April's own vision was blurry with unshed tears and she shook her head, stepping up to him and pulling him into a hug, burying her head in his chest.

"Don't be sorry. Please don't be sorry. You're here now, that's more than I can say for anyone else ever." She mumbled, soaking his shirt in silent tears.

Booth hesitated, he knew she needed to be hugged as much as he wanted to hug her, but the sight of those bruises on her skin haunted him like nothing he'd ever known.

"April I…"

April felt him stiffen and leaned back to look at him, the pain and tenderness in his eyes was obvious even to her, a teenage girl who'd never prided herself on her people skills and hadn't spoken to this man in years. Even she knew.

"Seeley," She said in a steady voice, keeping a firm hold on his eyes, "You could never hurt me. That's a fact."

Booth still looked hesitant and it nearly broke her. April needed to feel his arms around her, assuring her everything would be all right. She wanted to know it would be all right.

"Seeley?"

For the first time April's eerily smooth voice cracked and Booth gasped. Thinking he was too afraid to hug her, April buried her face back in his chest and let go of a few more tears.

---

**Even when he's not here he keeps hurting me.**

**---**

April inhaled sharply as she felt hands gently begin rubbing circles on her back and she could only respond by hugging Booth tighter.

---

**Keep me safe. Please Seeley. Please keep me safe.**

**---**

_I'll always keep you safe. From now on I'll protect you April._

Brennan had slowly been backing out of the room, feeling awkward and out of place. She was now just inside the doorway leading to the dining room, watching the scene play out.

Knowing a mad dash for the door was illogical and inappropriate and would break the already fractured hearts of the two wounded people in the living room, Brennan decided to burn off the urge to do so by making some tea.

Just as she was about to turn away, Booth pulled out of his hug with April and stood.

"Stay with Bones April," He smiled the girl and wiped her cheeks before placing a protective kiss on her forehead, "I'll be back in a few minutes."

_After I've found Rodger and made him wish he was dead before I haul his ass to jail._

Booth's anger had subsided when he saw her bruises, but now it was back and burning a hole in his stomach. This guy was gonna pay for what he did to April. Period.

Booth started to move away when the panic flooded April's dark green eyes.

"No." Her voice trembled, Booth just couldn't get used to the sound of that.

"April," He soothed, reaching for his coat and keys, "I'll be back alright? Stay here with Bones and watch a movie, you won't even know I'm gone." He leaned forward to kiss her forehead again but she ducked away, shaking her black ponytail from side to side.

"NO!" April's voice cracked and tears stung her eyes, sobs she'd been choking back for months, maybe years had suddenly sprung up in her lungs, not allowing her to get air.

"No! No you can't. Not now! Please Seeley please don't leave me here now _don't leave_." She was nearing hysterics as her legs gave her up to the tears.

---

**I can't think. I can't hear or talk. I don't know if I'm falling or if gravity has simply stopped working, but for some reason I can't feel my legs. I know I shouldn't be like this. I'm a foster kid for crying out loud! I know how to handle it when someone leaves. But still…**

**I just can't let Seeley go. I can't. This is the first time I've felt safe in…years. He can't walk out that door…what if he never comes back? What if I never get to feel this way again? What if…**

---

Booth jumped forward and caught April before she fell; Brennan was immediately at his side, helping him move the sobbing girl to the couch.

"Okay, okay." Booth pulled April up close to him and held her head to his chest with one hand; whispering urgently and wishing the tears would subside. "Okay. I'm sorry April I'm not going anywhere. I'm not going anywhere okay? I'm right here. It's all going to be okay."

Booth rocked slowly and locked stares with Brennan, whose blue eyes were glassy as she grasped one of April's trembling hands. He needed Rodger to be brought in, but he couldn't leave April. Not after that.

Meeting Booth's gaze, Brennan read him like no one else could and silently, she nodded and rose from the couch, pulling out her cell phone.

"Hello? This is Dr. Temperance Brennan; I'm partners with Special Agent Seeley Booth. I need to speak with Director Cullen…" She disappeared around the corner into the kitchen.

Booth watched her go and became aware of April's breathing as it returned to normal.

Sniffling, she sat up and tucked her skinny legs beneath herself.

"Sorry." She whispered, blushing slightly at her uncharacteristic emotional display.

Booth took her hand and spoke low.

"Do not apologize. You haven't done anything wrong."

April nodded and Booth could tell she didn't believe him.

---

**I've heard it all before Seeley.**

**---**

Booth sighed and tossed his keys and cell phone onto the table, before he turned to look again at April. Some of her hair had fallen out of her ponytail and was hiding her face again. One of her hands grasped his firmly, while the other was wrapped around something small she'd produced from her pocket.

"Whatcha got there?" He asked, a light smile on his face.

April glanced at him before slowly opening her palm to show him a dull silver coin. Booth took it gingerly and examined it.

_It can't be._ He thought, disbelievingly.

"April do you know what this is?"

April shrugged her uninjured shoulder. "A fifty cent piece. Dad gave it to me just before he…died."

Booth nodded and smiled slowly, turning to face her more fully.

"April this isn't just any fifty cent piece. It's a 90 percent silver half dollar piece minted in Philadelphia in 1964. That was the first year these were ever made." April furrowed her brow.

"How interesting." She tried not to roll her eyes and reached for her coin.

"April."

She stopped and looked at him, something about his voice…

"Your mother was a coin collector, you remember that?"

April only nodded, her voice often failed when her mother was mentioned.

"This was her half dollar piece." Booth watched as her eyes widened with curiosity. "Do you want to know the story?"

April nodded and snuggled up closer to Booth's side, reminding him of Parker when he read storybooks. Taking the coin, April carefully turned the coin over and over in her hand, running her fingers along the engraving as Booth spoke.

"April, your dad Joey, he used to love to tell this story. Drove our whole infantry crazy." Booth shook his head and allowed Joey's voice to invade his mind for the first time in years. He didn't even notice Brennan come and take a seat on the other side of him.

"When we found out we had to go overseas, your mother was devastated. Your father too…they were head over heals for each other." Booth finally noticed Brennan sitting next to him when she laced her fingers with his and leaned on his shoulder. He continued his story uninterrupted while the girls listened.

"Lauren said Joey needed something to take with him, to remember her by. He had a picture but she said it wasn't enough, she wanted him to take a piece of her with him and all she had was her coin collection. April, your mom _loved_ her coin collection, but she loved your dad more. This half dollar," he pointed to the coin in April's hand, "was her favorite piece. She said your dad already had her whole heart, he might as well have part of her coin collection too." Booth smiled at the memory and though he couldn't see them, he could tell the April and Brennan were smiling as well.

"He would take that coin out and look at it all the time. It never left his pocket, no matter what. And when things got rough out there, I pulled out my Rosary, and your dad pulled out that coin. That fifty-cent piece did a lot of good for your father April. A lot of good, sometimes it was the only thing that kept him sane." Booth quieted and waited for her to respond.

April sat up slowly and looked at him, a mixture of sadness and amazement on her face.

"Is all that true?"

"Every word."

April smiled and looked at the coin in wonderment. "Wow." She whispered.

Booth smiled and touched April's cheek, turning her face toward him. "April, that coin was a piece of your mother to help your father through tough times. When your father gave it to you, it was like giving you a piece of both of them to hold on to." He used his large hand to fold April's small ones around her coin.

"You'll never be alone April. Never."

---

**I believe you Seeley.**

---

**_Awwww. That was sweet. But don't worry, the Angst Train isn't retired yet..._**


	9. Little Family

**_Okay so, nobody's updating, what I wanted to happen didn't happen in the epi (being vague for all you spoiler haters out there) and now I'm board so guess what that means??? UPDATE! Anybody seen the Angst train?_**

---

**Sleep is easier when you're not afraid to wake up.**

---

Booth lifted April's limp body and hugged her closer to his chest. She'd fallen asleep not even ten minutes into the Western movie they'd been watching and he decided to put her up in Parker's room for the night.

"Hey Bones, will you turn down the sheets on Parker's bed for me?"

Brennan nodded and went ahead of him to the last room on the right side of the hallway.

With April's small body cradled in his arms, he didn't see the toys Parker had left in the middle of the floor earlier that week and wasn't able to sidestep them the way he had been doing for the past couple of days.

The miniature bulldozer cut sharply into the bottom of his left foot and Booth stumbled forward, clutching April tighter as he tried to keep from falling. When he regained his balance he became aware of a soft whimpering escaping the girl in his arms.

Booth looked down, April's dark-angel face was contorted in pain while she slept and he realized he must have put pressure to some of her abundant bruises. Cursing himself silently, he made his way to Parker's room, this time more carefully.

Brennan stood aside and watched from the doorway as Booth carefully lay April in the bed. His large hands were so gentle and cautious of her injuries, she worried that if she even breathed too hard it would throw him off.

She felt her heart warm in places she didn't know were still reachable as Booth tenderly brushed the hair off April's forehead and placed a gentle kiss against it.

"G'night Bug." He whispered, turning out the light and following Brennan out of the room.

---

**Goodnight Seeley.**

---

Booth pulled the door shut and both of them let out a breath they weren't aware of holding.

"I think we…what?" Booth stopped when he saw tears brimming in Brennan's eyes.

She hesitated for a moment, glancing at the Parker's bedroom door.

She shook her head, stepped forward and slammed into Booth's chest, unable to keep the tears at bay and unwilling to feel them on her cheeks.

Booth was taken aback, but immediately wrapped his arms around her, attempting to sooth the inexplicable tears.

"Hey hey, what's wrong?" He stroked her hair with one hand and held her close with the other. "Shhh…April's going to be fine Bones. She'll be alright."

Nodding, Brennan pulled her head away from his now damp shirt.

"I know she will, because she has you." She smiled softly and Booth returned it.

"And you. Without you, she might still be in that bathroom and I would have no idea what happened to her."

"You would have figured it out Booth, I have no doubt of that." She dropped her eyes and Booth stooped to bring himself back into her line of vision.

"Maybe. But I…needed you tonight Bones. Thank you for being here. You were amazing."

Brennan felt the tears welling up again and she closed her eyes.

_I don't deserve you..._

Without another thought she leaned forward, tilting her head up and waited.

Booth watched Brennan shut her blue eyes behind her eyelids and smiled when she turned her face up toward him, one set of enticingly plump lips parted, beckoning.

Their lips met, and their hearts exploded, though not with passion. Passion could wait. This kiss, this meeting of the souls, was meant to convey a deep appreciation, a mutual dependence and vulnerability, the sharing of a strength neither possessed on their own.

"Thank you." She whispered against his lips. Booth smiled and kissed her again softly. He'd found quite often in the past that when words failed, actions spoke louder.

---

**I haven't slept this good in…wow. It feels like years. Maybe it has been years…**

---

"She feels responsible for what happened to Jessica." Booth sat on the couch with Brennan between his legs, both having given up on the idea of sleep since they'd have to wake up in less than three hours anyway. He twirled a lock of her hair and stared at a few candles on the coffee table. They flickered and danced in a nonexistent breeze while Brennan sipped a glass of wine.

"That's understandable Booth. Presumably she's spent the last year and a half, maybe more, being told that everything is her fault. That she is to blame for the pain and the beatings. It takes time to get over that. To stop believing." She finished quietly and let her mind wander for a moment, hopefully away from painful memories attempting to resurface.

"Why do you sound like you know what you're talking about?"

When she didn't answer right away Booth stopped twirling her hair and looked down where he could just barely see the tip of her nose over the crown of her auburn hair.

"Bones?"

Brennan sighed. "Because I do."

Booth frowned and gritted his teeth, but didn't get a chance to ask before Brennan continued.

"About a year and a half after my parents disappeared I was placed with a couple named the Warrens. Mr. Warren was a heavy drinker and he…" Booth heard the tears thicken her voice and reached down to lace his fingers with hers.

"He would beat us, my foster brothers and I, constantly. Sometimes we couldn't even go to school. Mrs. Warren would get it worse than us if she tried to stop him…so there was no one. There was no one." She took a deep breath, attempting to regain control of her heartbeat.

"Do you know where he is?" The hostility in his voice under no guise and Brennan sipped her wine to prevent smiling.

_There's my protective alpha male._

"Yeah Booth. Six feet under." She could feel the puzzled look the top of her head was getting so she continued. "Mr. Warren was involved in a drunk driving accident after I'd been with them for about four months. He died and we were distributed back into the system."

Booth leaned his head back and closed his eyes.

_Why God? What did she do to deserve all of what's happened to her?_ Booth was sure asking this of God was showing a definite lack of faith, but he couldn't help it. His Bones had been hurt back then and he hadn't been there to save her. It wasn't fair.

Sensing his distress Brennan squeezed his hand and turned to lay her face against his chest and Booth let his fingers trace circles on her back.

"I'm fine now Booth. Now I have you, and better yet, April has you. That's more than I ever had in her position."

Booth smiled and smoothed the hair on top of her head before kissing it. "I try to always there for my girls when they need me."

* * *

A knock on the door woke both Booth and Brennan the next morning at 8am.

Quite comfortable in her place in Booth's arms, where they'd fallen asleep on the couch, Brennan chose to ignore the sound and snuggle deeper into Booth's chest.

While the agent was enjoying having Brennan near, probably more than he'd ever enjoyed anything before, he knew he had to get the door.

Nudging Bones, he attempted to move out from under her.

"Bones it's Parker."

Upon hearing that Brennan reluctantly sat up and rubbed the sleep from her eyes.

Placing a quick kiss on her lips, he got up and went to the door to greet his son.

"Hey Parker!" Booth opened the door with more enthusiasm than he actually had.

Parker hugged his dad and pointed excitedly to the red plastic helmet on his head.

"I'm a fireman! I'm a fireman!" He chanted, searching the room for any sign of other firefighters and his father turned to bid farewell to Rebecca.

Shutting the door Booth joined Brennan and Parker in the living room.

"…and they get to rescue people from buildings that's um…on fire and they, and they get lots of water and they put out the fire!" Parker stood between Brennan and the coffee table talking a mile a minute about firefighters and what they do, as if Brennan had never even heard of the term. Of course, Brennan didn't really look that coherent, staring with forced concentration at the boy. Knowing his Bones wasn't much of a morning person, Booth headed to the kitchen to start some coffee brewing.

"Did you already eat breakfast bud?" Booth called from the kitchen. Little feet pounded the floor as Parker ran from the living room to the kitchen.

"What Dad?" He scooted up onto the barstool at the counter and Brennan slowly followed.

"I asked if you had breakfast already." The coffee maker gurgled in anticipation and Booth quickly rinsed the pot and replaced it under the spout.

"Yeah Mommy bought me some McDonalds and you know what else?"

---

**That kid is probably the cutest thing I've ever seen. Seeley's pictures , of which he has plenty, just don't do him justice.**

**Good lord…I could wallpaper a house with all the pictures Seeley's got of Parker.**

---

Booth shook his head and smiled when he felt Brennan's arms slide around his waist. Turning to face her hekissed her lips and smiled down at her. Looking at Brennan, but speaking to Parker, "No bud, what else?"

Parker didn't answer right away, instead Booth and Brennan were pushed apart as a small body worked it's way between them.

"Dad?"

"What is it Parker?"

"Who is that?" Parker turned, his finger pointed toward the opening where two dark green eyes were illuminated in the darkness of the hallway.

Booth smiled warmly.

"C'mon April, we don't bite."

April took a deep breath and looked at Brennan, who was smiling at her with the same encouraging expression Seeley wore. To tell the truth she'd just been enjoying watching the small family interact. She didn't care what anyone said, those people were a family.

"Hi Parker." April stepped forward, rubbing her left arm subconsciously. She tried to muster a sweet smile for the boy, who was now peering out from behind his father's legs. Upon being addressed by April, Parker pressed his face into Booth's left leg and she looked at the floor.

"I'm sorry." April turned to go, a little surprised at how easily it was to walk away.

She felt a tap on her uninjured shoulder and glanced back.

Brennan had Parker perched on her left hip. The boy looked at her from where his head was bowed on Brennan's shoulder.

"Parker," She said in a gentle, almost motherly tone, "this is my friend April. Can you say 'hi'?"

Parker turned his head away and shook it from side to side. Brennan frowned and looked at April, who stared blankly back at her.

"Say something." Brennan whispered urgently.

"Like what?" April whispered back, ignoring Booth who was trying not to crack up as he fixed two cups of coffee.

"Anything."

"I can't." April looked pained and gestured to Parker, "I'm horrible with kids."

Brennan raised an eyebrow and turned to address the boy again.

"Parker, did you know your daddy has known April since she was a baby even smaller than you?"

Parker's head snapped up and Brennan let him slide off her hip as Booth handed her a cup of coffee made just the way she liked it.

"Is that true Dad?" He asked with wide eyes.

Booth grinned over the rim of his mug. "Mmm-hmm. I've known April since she was born."

Parker turned to scrutinize the girl for a moment, then apparently deciding there was nothing hostile about her, he grabbed her hand and drug her back down the hall.

"Come see my room! I got a fire truck."

---

**A fire truck? What's so great about that?**

---

April hurried after Parker with an apprehensive look on her face. Throwing one last glance over her shoulder to the adults at the end of the hall, she raised her eyebrows.

"I'll take some coffee too please Uncle Seeley." April grinned, knowing what was coming next as she disappeared inside Parker's room.

"Dream on kiddo. You and the squirt are getting OJ and you're gonna like it."

Rolling her eyes April mumbled a response before allowing Parker to pull her back into the childish innocence she'd so long ago forgotten.

"Wow! I haven't seen this many Legos since the last time I was in New York at that toy store."

"Uh-huh. Daddy buys 'em for me. He used to live in New York, didja know that? What do ya wanna build?"

"Can we build a castle?"

"Sure! You can be the princess and I can be the knight in shinin' Armor and I'll rescue you from the bad guy …"

---

**Cute kid. I wish he could stay like this forever. All legos and fire trucks and princesses. I wish it could always be this way. Yeah, I know it's silly and stupid but...I don't know. I guess I figure if I wish hard enough and long enough, one day it won't sound so crazy.**

---

_**Hmmm...I guess the angst train got delayed. It should be coming around the bend any moment...**_


	10. One Important Case

**_Okay...the angst train is around the bend...one more fluffy chap to keep you happy...cuz man...that train is looooong._**

---

**I know it's stupid. I've only been here a few hours and there's been absolutely no hinting at any of this becoming permanent…but I can't help but hope.**

**I woke up today and I was warm. I went out and three people smiled at me, welcomed me into their day. I had breakfast, and now I'm hanging out with the smartest, cutest four-year-old in the world.**

**I know it's stupid…but I can't help but hope this lasts.**

---

Brennan put the last of the plates in the sink and started the running water. Reaching for the sponge, she took to washing the remnants of bacon and eggs down the drain, humming to herself softly.

She was starting in on Parker's plate when two strong arms wrapped around her waist and pulled her backward into a warm chest. Leaning back, Brennan closed her eyes as Booth bent to tenderly kissed her neck and thanking his lucky stars that he was now allowed to do so.

"You don't have to do that you know." He mumbled against her pale skin. Brennan only nodded, her warm wet hands clutched his, dish soap running down their arms.

"I know."

Brennan turned around and pressed her lips to his, hungry for his taste. His scent. She'd spent all of the night before and that morning with Seeley and they had only kissed once. She didn't think she couldn wait any longer. A beast had been awakened and it wanted to feed, no longer content with watching their tentative romance from inside a gilded cage.

Momentarily startled, Booth allowed himself to be turned and his back pressed into the counter. When his head caught up to her advances, he responded whole-heartedly.

The kiss lit them on fire and they were reluctant to break the current of heat and longing seeping into the depths of their stomachs, even for air.

Brennan's hands were fisted in his hair and Booth's hands roaming the flesh under her shirt when oxygen was finally deemed non-negotiable. Remaining as close as physically possible, they gasped, smiling with their eyes closed. Both started to speak, but words failed them when attempting to describe that searing kiss, so they settled for the pulsing electricity coursing through their veins, and silence.

Booth leaned in for Brennan's lips once more, having decided they'd taken a long enough break and knowing Parker was busy with April and their Lego castle. But before he could capture them, a cell phone chirped loudly in the living room.

Brennan groaned and Booth cursed, hesitating a few seconds before he moved. It chirped a second time and Brennan pushed him so he reluctantly left her to go retrieve the offending device.

"Booth." He snapped, sending his menacing glare through the phone with his voice.

"Agent Booth we have one Rodger Dickens here for questioning per your request." A young woman's voice told him, obviously undeterred by Booth's clipped tone.

He closed his eyes and replaced lust with anger in a matter of moments. When he opened them again, it was all business.

"Yeah thanks, keep him there. No one talks to him until I arrive. I'll be there in half an hour." He hung up and turned to Brennan, who folded her arms across her chest, recognizing the change in Booth's demeanor.

"Rodger?"

He nodded and smiled apologetically.

"I know you said you don't like to wait but…"

"…for April, I will." She cut him off and determination lit her face. "Just let me change before we go. I've got some clothes in my trunk I was going to use after going to the gym yesterday, but I never made it." She went to the door and grabbed her keys while pulling on her shoes.

Booth headed back to Parker's room.

"There gotta be alley-gaters in the river 'round the castle." Parker pushed a couple green Legos into place on blue Lego water.

"It's called a 'moat' Park." April corrected absently. She had settled away from him a bit, leaning against the wall with some of Parker's drawing paper and a naked purple crayon.

Not seeing his father in the doorway, Parker looked up from the castle to April.

"Can I see your pit'ure?"

April glanced up and saw Booth behind him at the doorway. Smiling, she nodded and lifted her drawing, turning it so both Booths could see.

Drawn mostly in purple with green highlights and blue shadow, was a still life of Parker. The colors were odd, but somehow appropriate. April managed to capture Parker's childlike exuberance for his toys, along with a determined concentration few children of his age had. She'd captured his spirit, not just his face.

"Wow! That's SO cool!" Parker said, rushing over to look at the drawing closer.

"You really like it?" April asked him, glancing between his face and her drawing, evaluating her accuracy.

_Not bad._ She thought, pleased.

"Hey April?" Booth stepped inside his son's racecar bedroom. "I've got to head into work for a while, could you watch Parker for me?"

"Yeah, no problem Uncle Seeley." April nodded and returned to her drawing, not noticing the pained look reflected in the eyes of both father and son when Parker realized what was going on.

The little boy dropped his Legos and leapt to his feet, ramming into his father's legs.

"But Daddy I thought we was gonna play today."

Booth nodded, giving his son a serious look and kneeling down to be on eye level.

"I know buddy, but Daddy is working on a really important case right now. You know I wouldn't normally put work before our weekend together right?"

Parker nodded and wiped his eyes bravely, trying to get a hold of his tearful disappointment.

"So this must not be a normal case right? This is a special case that I can't take a break from. I've got to catch the bad guy Parker." _And break every bone in his pathetic body._ "You understand?"

Parker took a deep breath. "Yea. Guess so."

Booth smiled and ruffled his son's hair. "That's my boy. You take care of April okay?"

Parker straightened and nodded dutifully. April let a small smile crack on her lips, she hadn't realized how close Parker and Seeley were. She felt bad knowing her case was most likely the one keeping Parker from his father and Booth from his son.

"Okay. We ready?" Brennan appeared at the door fully dressed and placed a hand on Booth's shoulder.

"Yeah. I just need to change real quick."

"What are we gonna do April?" Parker returned to his Legos while Brennan watched from the doorway, smiling at how April almost looked like a child herself, sitting cross-legged at Parker's child sized desk coloring her purple drawing.

"I don't know Parker…we could watch TV. I haven't been able to watch much of that lately." She shifted so she was sitting on her legs and winced, immediately regretting the choice to do so.

Parker didn't look thrilled at the idea of watching TV all day.

"Hey Parker, have you ever played 'Will it Float?'" Brennan queried, discreetly helping April into a more comfortable position.

Parker shook his blonde curls from side to side and April smiled.

"I have. I like that game."

"How do you play?"

Brennan crouched down to be on eye level with the boy and no one noticed that Booth had returned from his room and was leaning against the doorway with his arms folded, watching the domestic scene play out happily.

_That's my girl Bones. Look at you, you're a natural._

"Well, first you fill up a big bowl or pot with water."

"Or we could use the bathtub." April chimed in, looking almost excited at the idea. Parker saw April getting keyed up and imitated her enthusiasm.

"Yes, or the bathtub, and you go around the house finding different objects and try to guess whether or not they'll float. Then you put them in the water and see if you were right."

Parker's eyes brightened. "Cool." He got up and went to April, attempting to pull her to her feet, although he was only as tall as her waist. "Let's go do that!"

April nodded and stood up. "I'll meet you in the bathroom Parker, why don't you start going to find stuff?"

Parker did and brushed past his father to go on his search.

"Bones." Booth spoke for the first time as Brennan rose to her feet. "I can't believe you just came up with a squinty activity to keep my son occupied."

Brennan smirked. "You're welcome." Then, glancing at April who was shifting nervously from one foot to the other, and back to her now tense looking partner, she continued, "I'll meet you at the car Booth." _And I'll be driving._

Booth nodded and leaned down to kiss her as she walked past. "Thanks."

She smiled, patted his arm, and disappeared.

After a few moments of silence, April lifted her eyes to Booth's but immediately dropped them again.

"I um…you can have this if you want. It's one of my better ones I think." She shrugged and gestured to her drawing while her eyes roamed the room absently, "I know you have tons of pictures of Parker but…I don't know. You can have it or… or whatever."

Booth smiled at her and stepped a bit closer.

"I love it April, I'd love to keep it if you'll let me." She smiled at the floor and Booth lifted her chin, "Why so shy all of a sudden?" He asked gently.

Again April shrugged as best she could and glanced at him. "I'm…I…feel guilty I guess. For…Parker and all."

Booth frowned for a moment before placing her meaning. He pulled her into a gentle hug.

"It's not your fault April. I need to do this. I promised your father I would watch out for you and I've got a lot of making up to do. Timing could be better, but it's not your fault. None of this is."

April nodded and hugged him tighter, afraid to let go.

---

**I'm fascinated by the air of absolute certainty that seems to follow Seeley around. The feeling of safety whenever he is near clings to your clothing like a thick blanket.**

**And it's not just me either. I can tell Parker and Dr. Brennan feel it too. Especially the latter, she must feel it or else she wouldn't have let Seeley get so close. I know that for a fact.**

**I wonder how he does it.**

---

April waved from the front door as Booth and Brennan pulled away from the curb, Brennan somehow having been coaxed back into the passenger seat. When they were out of sight she turned back inside the apartment.

"So what did you find Park?"

"A lotta stuff April! C'mon!" Parker called from the bathroom.

---

**Wait a second...where are the couch cushions? Shit!**

**---**

Her ears perked up to water running in the bathroom.

"Parker! Wait for me!"

**_R&R...yup...that was definitly a train whistle I just heard. Didja hear it?_**


	11. Deep Breaths are Hard to Take

_**Not sure if this chap counts as angst...so I guess we'll say we're at the station and the train just pulled up. Thankfully, we're on the car where all the Foster Father beat up scenes take place. lol.**_

**---**

**I hope Seeley won't be mad that I invited Tommy over, 'cause he and Parker are _so_ cute together! They're playing Pirates, Tommy is tickling Parker who is giggling like there's no tomorrow. The picture I'm drawing of them now…I don't think I'll ever be able to part with it, I have to remember this moment forever.**

**This is what I've always wanted.**

---

Booth and Brennan got out of the SUV and hurried toward the Hoover building. Reaching the doors just before Booth, Brennan ran inside and slammed directly into a young man with a skinny face and ripped jeans.

Brennan hissed as the cigarette the boy had been lighting up as he came through the doors fell from his mouth and landed briefly on her hand.

"Ouch! As if smoking wasn't dangerous enough as it is!" Brennan clutched her injured hand to her chest and glared at the boy.

"Sorry. Didn't see you." He mumbled, "And they're only Lites anyway."

Brennan rolled her eyes while Booth took her hand, silently assessing the damage.

"Tobacco is tobacco. You're essentially committing slow suicide." She snapped.

Booth looked at her but she ignored him, continuing quickly into the building and irritated at the distraction the collision had caused.

"Look, just pay more attention all right Mister…?" Booth pointed to the boy who took a long drag on his Lite cig.

"Pike. Chris Pike." He mumbled, leaning up against the wall and closing his eyes.

"Okay Chris, just watch where you're going alright? I'd hate to see what would have happened to you had Bones not been in such a hurry since you're not supposed to smoke inside anyway."

Chris shrugged and Booth gave him one last appraising look, trying to place the feeling his gut was giving him about this kid. Nothing cleared in his mind so he turned to run after Brennan.

----------

"Hey! Hey Bones." Booth caught Brennan's elbow and stopped her purposeful gait down the hallway, "Maybe I should fly solo for the first couple of minutes." He said quietly.

Brennan's jaw dropped and she put her hands on her hips.

"Why!?"

Booth winced. "Well Bones, you're agitated."

"So are you."

"Yes, but you're dangerous when you're agitated." He said as gently as possible.

"What are you talking about Booth?" She rolled her eyes and turned to continue on her way to the interrogation room, her fists unconsciously clenching at her sides.

"Whoa, look Bones," Booth stepped in front of her and grasped her upper arms firmly, "Just…you're a danger to the suspect right now and we don't want any room for the DA to place doubt on Rodger's confession, and breaking all 206 bones in his body, while appropriate and ultimately satisfying, will definitely place doubt."

Brennan's frown deepened and she pulled away. "I can control myself Booth."

"Right Bones, you can control yourself." Booth chuckled lightly. "You don't happen to remember the first time you met Howard Epps do you and the way you broke his wrist? How about that gang leader, Roberto Ortez, whom you laid flat outside that very elevator?" He pointed down the hall. "And lets not forget that poor bounty hunter whose nose you broke."

Brennan almost smiled, her shoulders relaxing ever so slightly.

"Maybe you're right." She conceded. Glancing around the hallway she found they were alone, so she leaned forward, placing a hand on his chest and kissing him softly.

"Make him pay." She whispered before turning to go in the viewing room a few doors down.

Booth stood still with his hand on the doorknob. As soon as she disappeared his forced smile fell off his face and his lips grew into a grim line.

_Believe me. I will._

----------

Brennan watched Rodger straighten when the doorknob turned and swung open. Booth walked stiffly through, the look on his face chilled the entire room and she shivered.

Clenching and unclenching his jaw, Booth sat down and stared through Rodger, attempting to get control of his temper before opening his mouth.

_It would be so easy. Two seconds with my hands in just the right spots and he'd never be able to hurt anyone again. I'm sure April would sleep a lot better at night…_ His expression didn't change as he fought back this idea. _No. You told Bones you could control yourself, so do it._

Brennan waited, Booth had been sitting in the interrogation room for at least two minutes in complete silence doing nothing but watch Rodger shift in his chair. His face and ears were flushed red and she knew enough about body language from that book she read to see that he was extremely tense. She wondered briefly if Rodger might want to request a bodyguard instead of a lawyer.

Finally Booth spoke.

"You must feel like a big man Rodge." Booth's tone was dangerously low and laced with black rage just barely kept in check.

Rodger shifted again. "What?"

Booth tilted his head and put the file on the table in front of him, never breaking eye contact.

"Did she say anything?"

"Who?"

"Before you killed her, did she say anything to you or did you bash her head in before she had the chance?"

Rodger's eyes widened. "Courtney? I didn't kill her, I swear!" The man was almost frantic, glancing toward the glass and back to Booth, "I swear!"

Brennan gave him a scrutinizing look, though he of course could not see it. _Interesting_.

"Didn't kill her huh?" Booth's voice suddenly started to rise and he leaned forward, "Just like you didn't beat her and April and Jessica? You're wife Rodger? Just like you didn't beat her?!"

Booth whipped open the file, slamming down picture after bloodied picture in front of Rodger's face. Jessica's broken arm, Courtney's corpse, Layla's black eye, April's bruises and scars. Pictures old and new from hospitals and blown up family portraits.

Rodger stared down at the photos, his eyes tracing over each one slowly.

"I didn't kill Courtney." He said quietly, touching the picture of the girl's body, blue and stiff on a metal coroner's table.

Booth leaned back in his chair, Brennan was perplexed by how relaxed he suddenly seemed.

"You don't get it Rodge." Booth waited until the man looked up at him, "I've got everything I need. I've got witnesses who can attest to your temper, I've got motive and opportunity. Confess now and I can still make it home for the tale end of the Steelers game." He said smoothly.

Rodger dropped his eyes back down to the pictures. "I never meant to hurt them. I didn't kill Courtney but…I didn't mean to hurt them." His voice quivered.

Booth watched as he raised one hand and gingerly touched the photo of April's back with the football-sized bruise just below her left shoulder blade. His stomach turned but he ignored it.

"You get off on it Rodger? Hurting little girls. People who are helpless? Does it make you feel like a man?" Booth leaned forward again, speaking in a deathly whisper.

Rodger hesitated and slowly looked up, all traces of fear and remorse gone from his eyes and replaced with a sickly leer.

"You've never heard her scream have you?" He hissed, a smile tickling his lips.

Booth's eyes darted to the picture and back to Rodger and something broke.

Brennan blinked and missed it. One second Booth and Rodger were having a stare down, Rodger whispering something she couldn't quite hear. The next Booth had pulled the man out of his chair and had him sprawled out on the table, on the pictures, held down by his neck.

"You sick sonufabitch, you ever come near any of these women again and I'll personally make sure you never move another muscle for as long as you live. And if you ever come near April again…" He leaned down to whisper in his ear, "…I'll kill you."

Agents burst into the room and grabbed for Booth's arms, pulling him back.

"Booth let him go!" "Agent Booth he's not worth it, stop!"

Booth wrenched himself from the younger agents' grip and was satisfied to see Rodge's hands fly to his throat, gasping for air. He did an aboutface and went out to the deserted hallway, running a hand through his hair.

He was wired now, going to lose it if he didn't find a way to calm down.

_1…2…_ He punched the wall. _1…1….2_ Again, his fist made impact with the wall, this time leaving behind a rust colored smear. _1….DAMMIT!!_

He wasn't sure if he was angry because he'd lost it in front of the other agents and Bones, or because they'd pulled him off Rodger before he finished what he started. He was short of breath as he paced restlessly in a futile attempt to calm down.

Suddenly a gentle hand wrapped around his arm and pulled him into a nearby storage closet.

Brennan pushed Booth inside the dark room and shut the door behind them. She waited.

Booth didn't look at her. The room smelled of dust and cleaning products and her perfume. His heart pounded against his ribs, rattling his whole body with every beat. He paced a whole on the dirty concrete floor waiting for the adrenaline, that was blocking his common sense, to subside.

Finally the clouds in his mind dissipated and he stopped moving.

Brennan watched him stand still, his back to her. She saw his shoulders rise and fall a few times as he took deep calming breaths. Slowly he turned around and she inhaled sharply. In the dim light provided by a small window over the door, she could see tears standing in his eyes.

He expected to see judgment or anger. Perhaps even disappointment. Instead he only saw his pain reflected in the blue depths of her eyes and a love he was sure she didn't know she was betraying.

"It could have been April." Was all he could manage to choke out. Brennan stepped toward him, wrapping her arms around his waist.

"But it wasn't." She mumbled to his chest. Booth's wrapped a tight grip around him and he nodded into her hair.

_But it wasn't._

She waited until she could feel the pounding of his heart return to normal and then pulled back.

"Okay?" She questioned. She was rewarded with a small smile as Booth stood back. He nodded, then reached out and ran his thumb across her cheek tenderly.

"Thanks Bones."

Brennan nodded, leaning into his hand when her phone began to vibrate in her pocket.

"It's a text from Angela." She answered his unvoiced question when she pulled out her phone. She flipped it open for them both to see.

**URGENT!**

**Get to the lab ASAP!**

**_Hmmmm...the suspence is killing me..._**


	12. Gone

**_AAALLL ABOARD!!!_**

**---**

**How do I explain to him that Tommy makes me feel safe?**

**---**

Brennan watched Booth trying to keep his already worn-through temper in check while talking to April on the phone.

"April you should have asked me." He said again, his fingers tight on the steering wheel, fighting for his control. He didn't want to yell at her.

April sat with her feet drawn to her chest on the couch in Booth's living room, chewing her bottom lip nervously.

"I'm sorry Seeley. I was just…I wanted...with Parker…" She struggled for the words to tell him she wasn't ready to be alone. Not with Parker, not at all.

Tommy looked up from where he was helping the little boy with a puzzle on the floor and questioned her with light brown eyes.

"What about Parker?" Booth's voice came out sharper than he meant it to and Brennan gently laid a hand on his arm.

On the other end Tommy had left Parker to his puzzle and went to sit beside April, she let herself lean against his shoulder.

"I'm sorry Uncle Seeley. I…I just needed him here…with me. I didn't think to call you. I'm sorry." She hated that she'd upset Booth; she never meant to do that.

It was just that every time the apartment fell silent the hairs on the back of her neck would prick up and she started to glance over her shoulder, convinced he was watching. When she couldn't take it anymore she called Tommy, hoping the paranoia would subside with him around.

She'd been right, if only she'd thought to tell Booth that.

Booth heard the tears in April's voice and cursed himself, feeling like a tool for being melodramatic. He knew April would never put Parker in danger.

He glanced at Brennan who was giving him the same strange look of mixed determination and concern she'd been giving him when they left the Hoover building.

"I'm sorry April. I didn't mean to yell. Just…Tommy can stay all right? Just remember to ask me next time, okay?"

April nodded and took a deep breath, throwing a reassuring smile to Tommy who was gently stroking his thumb across her hair.

"Okay. I will. Bye Uncle Seeley."

Booth hung up and parked in front of the Jeffersonian.

"I overreacted." He told the steering wheel.

"Yes. You did."

Booth looked over at Brennan and she smiled at his incredulous expression.

"Gee, I feel better now Bones." He said, sarcastically.

She reached over and touched his knee, preventing him from jumping out of the car right away.

"You overreacted, but she'll get over it Booth. She's tough."

Booth smiled and kissed her quickly before they headed inside to see what urgent news Angela had for them.

---

**Seeley would have used a key. That should have been my first clue.**

---

Angela tapped her pen rapidly against her teeth and stared blankly out into space while she waited for Booth and Brennan to arrive. Zack was already standing on one side of he Angelator, reading their copy of the file for the fourth time.

Finally she heard Brennan's heels along with the soft thump of Booth's shoes slapping the concrete out in the lab.

"So Angela what's the emergency?" Booth questioned, barely in the room.

Angela stood and turned on the Angelator. "Have you arrested Rodger Dickens for the murder?" She asked, getting right down to it.

"Yeah."

"He didn't do it." Zack chimed in with his usual bluntness.

"What are you talking about?" "What's your evidence?"

Both Booth and Brennan crossed their arms and waited expectantly, taking spots with Angela and Zack at the Angelator.

"This is a schematic of Courtney Alamang's bones." She pulled up a small see-through holograph of a skeleton. "These highlighted breaks were old and definitely inflicted by someone of Rodger's approximate height and weight." Small bright green lines were illuminated on the legs, arms and finger bones.

"But the recent break to the third right phalanges," Zack nodded at Angela who lit up pink fracture lines where he was pointing, "the dislocation of the right scapula and the cause of death, the fractured frontal plate in the skull, were inflicted by someone considerably smaller and weaker than Dickens."

Brennan watched in horror as she realized what Zack and Angela had discovered.

"So…who killed her?" Booth asked, upset that Rodger wasn't the killer, since he was already in custody and Booht had a pretty good excuse to beat the man unrecognizable, but he was willing to ook elsewhere if that's where the evidence took them.

Brennan was having a bit harder time with it.

"Maybe Rodger just didn't hit her as hard when he killed her."

Zack stared at her. _Did Dr. Brennan just make a guess and ignore the evidence?_

Angela gave her friend a sympathetic look. "No Bren. In order for Rodger to inflict to this kind of damage he would have used a sustained hold of a lesser strength, using pressure instead of blunt force." Angela leaned on the top of the table to demonstrate.

"Yes Dr. Brennan, and considering that her other injuries show a pattern of full force attacks, it is unlikely that he would suddenly change his tactics. Plus the bone fractures would have been a different pattern."

Brennan nodded and looked to the side, away from them. She knew that.

_I knew that. Why did I ask such an irrational question?_ She folded her arms and looked back at the skeleton of Courtney Alamang, because there was no one to blame.

But she spoke too soon, just then Hodgins came rushing into Angela's office.

"Oh! Booth, Dr. Brennan, I'm glad you're here. I found some trace substances on Courtney's clothes." He glanced down at his paper before continuing, "Among other things, Ammonia, Benzene, Cadmium, Carbon Monoxide, Hydrazine and Formaldehyde. Basically, cigarettes."

Brennan's eyes flashed. "Cigarettes. That's Rodger."

She looked at Booth who had a thoughtful expression while absently rolling around a set of dice in his right hand.

"What is it Booth? Rodger smokes. That's a fact." She told him desperately. Hodgins moved to stand with stood with Zack and Angela while they watched Booth and Brennan interact.

"I know Bones but there's something else. There has to be, you heard what Angela and Zack said."

Brennan frowned deeper. "I know but…"

Booth uddnely looked up and squeezed her shoulder, a smile spreading on his lips.

"What?"

"Hand me the file."

Brennan did and she waited while he scanned the words quickly. He suppressed a grin and turned to Hodgins, determined to be sure he was right before he let the others in on what he was thinking.

"Hodgins can you tell me anything specific about the cigs? The brand or type?"

Hodgins thought for a moment, his eyes glancing between his paper and the space out spot about a foot and a half in front of his chest.

"Yeah, I guess, levels of nicotine indicate. They were what the DA considers a less potent type. Lites."

Booth grinned fully and turned to Brennan, meeting her puzzled look for the first time. He could see she was getting frustrated with him being so vague and he quickly pointed to a name on the paper.

"Chris Pike was the vics boyfriend."

"Yeah…"

"You remember that kid you ran into on the way inside HQ?"

"You mean the _kid_ that ran into _me_? Yes I remember that." She pointed to a red spot on the back of her left hand.

"He was smoking a lite cigarette. He told me his name was Chris Pike." Booth said slowly.

Brennan frowned for a moment and then her eyes widened, glancing back at the floating image of Courtney Alamang's bones.

Booth saw that she understood, her face darkening, no doubt wishing she'd kicked the boy in the head when she had the chance.

"It makes sense," She said quietly, "They said they thought she ran away. She probably did, to be with her boyfriend. Only her escape turned out to be what killed her."

Angela turned to Jack, a wide mischievous grin on her lips.

"I love when I'm around when they finally figure it out. The sparks that fly are practically flammable."

Hodgins couldn't help himself and slipped his hand around her waist. He loved it when she was musing about her second favorite couple, she looked so playful. Playful he liked.

Booth hooked a hand behind Brennans' neck and, forgetting himself and where he was, pressed a quick kiss to her forehead.

"That's it Bones, positing a scenario. I'll make an investigator out of you yet." Brennan glared at him for the innuendo that she wasn't already an investigator, Zack looked on, eyes wide with shock, and Hodgins clapped his hand over Angela's mouth to prevent a squeal that would crack glass.

---

**How did he find me? Air won't enter my lungs. I have tunnel vision. I can't tell where Tommy and Parker are, I can't think. I wish I could run, but I can't feel either.**

**I can't believe he found me. Oh God. No no no no no…**

---

Pulling out his cell phone, Booth speed dialed Cullen.

Brennan went to congratulate the squints on their good work. Caught up in Zack's wordy explanation of how he'd come to discover the difference in power behind the blows, it took a moment before the squints' attention to be drawn back to Booth as his tone turned from confident to frantic.

"What do you mean?…No sir no one's called me….How…Does anyone know what happened, where he went?" Booth was turning red now, throwing ever more frequent glances at Brennan while he paced. "No…okay. Please make sure the other agents know to keep me informed sir."

Booth shut his phone and turned to the squints.

"Rodger escaped from custody."

------------------

A ringing phone caught Holly's attention as she searched the unfamiliar apartment for signs of trouble.

"Hello?" She said hesitantly into the receiver.

"Hello?" Booth pulled his phone away from his ear to check and be sure he'd called the right number, "Who is this? What are you doing in my apartment?"

Brennan turned to him, wondering who he was talking to.

"Mr. Booth? This is Holly Green in apartment 4C, across the hall. I heard some commotion and came to make sure everything was all right. The door was open."

Booth's heart seized in his chest and shivers erupted on his neck and spine.

"What do you mean commotion? Where are Parker and April?"

Holly glanced around her. A few papers were strewn about, crayon drawings and a wet candle and coasters were on the coffee table, but no children.

"There's no one here Agent Booth."

Booth felt himself starting to panic. After swerving to avoid the second pedestrian at a crosswalk he knew he should pull over while his nerves were on edge, but all he wanted to do was get home. Get home to Parker and April.

"Are you sure?" He kept his voice as even as possible. "Maybe they're there and hiding."

_Please God…please let them be ok._

He waited while Holly called out into the apartment.

"Parker? April? It's Ms. Green from across the hall. Is anyone here?"

She waited and was only met with silence. A sinking feeling in her stomach made her grimace as she turned back to the phone.

"I'm sorry Mr. Booth, there's no…wait. I think I hear something."

Booth held his breath and Holly peered around the corner to the hallway where a small figure had his back pressed to the wall.

"Parker? It's all right sweetheart. C'mere." She crouched down, and she held out the phone. "Come talk to your daddy."

Parker's heart jumped at mention of his father and he took off down the hall into Holly's waiting hug. She handed him the phone.

"Daddy?"

Brennan watched as Booth took his first deep breath in quite a few minutes and instinctually reached for the steering wheel when he accidentally swerved into oncoming traffic.

"Parker! Buddy are you alright?"

The little boy immediately burst into tears, doing nothing for the knot of worry in his father's stomach.

"Daddy he took her, the bad man hit Tommy and he took her." He sobbed.

Booth swallowed, his voice threatening to fail.

"Parker, where is April." He said as calmly as possible. "Is she there? Are you alright?"

"No. The bad man took her Daddy! She's gone." Parker wailed.

Brennan heard the boy's loud voice and looked at Booth again, worry now painted just as thick on her own features.

"Okay Parker. Everything's gonna be fine, Bones and I will be there in a few minutes okay? Just stay with Ms. Green and I'll see you soon."

Parker agreed and hung up.

Booth shut his phone and without asking Brennan flipped on the siren. Without hesitating Booth floored it.

---

**I shouldn't have let Tommy open the door.**

---

**_Dun dun duuuuunnnnnn!!! _**


	13. It takes a Village to Save a Child

**_Here we go again._**

---

**I try to put myself back in that place where I used to go when he was like this. When he's unreasonable and animalistic and all he wants is to hurt someone. I used to be able to take myself away from it, remove my mind from what was happening and suddenly the warmth on my face was sunshine, not blood. His words would get lost in the distance and I could smell summer instead of the moldy bed I was burying my face in.**

**But for some reason, this time is different. For some reason, this time I'm still here, I can't make it all go away. Rodger is here and I can feel every pinch, pull, hit or cut. It sears through my skin and radiates through my entire being.**

**I wonder what's changed, but I already know. I've been to the other side now. Seeley and Dr. Brennan and Parker have reminded me what it feels like to be safe, and I simply don't want to go back to the world I used to live in.**

**I've decided pain is better than nothing.**

**---**

"Parker I need you to tell me exactly what happened, bud."

Booth's apartment was crawling with agents by the time he got there, just ten minutes after his phone call with his son.

When he saw him, curled up and frightened on Ms. Green's lap, he couldn't scoop Parker up quick enough. Couldn't hug his son tight enough.

Brennan watched them for a moment, then taking a queue from Ms. Green, who got up to give father and son a moment alone, she looked away and started bugging the forensic team.

"Have you checked for fingerprints here? Often intruders touch more than they mean to, adrenalin overpowering common sense. If he wasn't wearing gloves his fingerprints would most likely be around here somewhere." Brennan shadowed the young man through the rest of the apartment, only when she returned to the living room for the second time and found Booth kneeling in front of Parker, his little shoulders gripped tight, did she realize she might be needed somewhere else.

"I don't know…I just…I was hiding." A couple huge fat tears rolled down the boy's pudgy cheeks and Brennan watched Booth tense with frustration.

She immediately lowered herself to their level. Putting a calming hand on Booth's shoulder, she spoke to Parker.

"Parker, we really need your help to find the bad man who took April okay? Do you think you can do that?" She asked gently. Parker nodded, wiping his sleeve across his runny nose.

"Okay. What were you and April and Tommy doing when the bad man came?"

Parker looked thoughtful for a moment.

"We was drawin'. I got thirsty so Tommy was gonna get me somethin' to drink." Booth's hopes soared as Parker slowly recounted the events of that afternoon. He'd never wanted to kiss Bones more in his life.

"Then somebody knocked on the door so Tommy went to answer it 'cause I'm not s'posed to." Parker glanced at his father, who nodded, telling him that was right. "And a man was at the door. I don't know what they said 'cause April was tryin' to show me how to draw eyes good." Parker leaned over to pick up one of the drawings that had been sent to the floor during a struggled and Booth tried not to lose his patience at his son's short attention span.

"See? April said the eyes need to be the same size like this." Parker held up the drawing and Booth took it and put it on the coffee table behind him.

"Parker, what happened after Tommy opened the door."

The little boy glanced between his father and Dr. Bones. Deciding he still wasn't in trouble, he continued.

"I don't know. They was talkin' and then I heard April, she um…she like got really surprised and I looked and Tommy was on the floor over there." He pointed to the door where three agents stood, examining a small pool of blood. Brennan immediately redirected his attention, hoping he hadn't seen it.

"Then what Parker?"

"Then April pulled me up and told me to go to my room and hide under the bed and I didn't wanna' but she told me I had to and that she'd tell me when it was okay to come out. The man was comin' inside and I got scared so I ran."

Brennan's eyes clouded over with anger and she stood, pacing near the foot of the couch to spend some of the energy building up inside her.

_He found her. How did he…she was finally safe and he had to ruin it for her. This man will be lucky if I don't break him with my bare hands._

"Parker," Booth said patiently, regaining the boy's full attention. "What did the man look like?"

Parker seemed troubled by the question. "He looked like…himself."

"Parker," Brennan grabbed Booth's arm and pulled him up to his feet. "Was he as tall as your dad or shorter?"

Parker squinted. "A little bit shorter, like this much." Parker showed two inches of space between his thumb and pointer finger.

"Did his hair look like anyone you see here?" She gestured toward the agents and forensic tech's swarming the apartment.

"Yeah. Him right there." Booth looked over at Agent Lavnie, a man with dark, shaggy hair. "And he was kinda fat."

Booth and Brennan looked at each other, thinking the same thing.

_That's Rodger._

"Did he say anything buddy?" Booth asked, returning his attention to his son.

Parker frowned. "I don't know 'cause I couldn't hear really good. I was under the bed. But they was fightin', kind of like when you and Mommy argue, but louder."

Brennan saw Booth's ears get slightly red, but chose wisely not to comment.

"I think the man said somethin' about…home. I think he was takin' April home." He looked up, "Is that right?"

Parker searched Booth and Brennan's eyes earnestly for approval and grinned when both the adults smiled down at him.

"Good job Parker." Brennan knelt down to hug him. "You did a very good job."

Booth smiled at the sight of Brennan embracing his son. "Yeah, you did a good job buddy."

_So did you Bones. I think you two may have just saved April's life._

---

**I didn't want to go. I knew he would hurt me and I didn't want that. But then…then he brought Parker into it. Of all the things in the whole wide world he had to choose Parker.**

**I wouldn't have gone if I didn't honestly believe he would kill that little boy.**

---

April opened her eyes and blinked, consciousness coming into a somewhat blurry focus. She felt his eyes on her and pulled her knees closer to her chest, forming as small ball on the floor of her bedroom.

"So nice of you to join me April."

His voice made her shiver and she knew the next words out of her mouth were not the smartest, nor the best chosen for that moment, when she was so utterly vulnerable. But…she couldn't help it.

April opened her eyes, wanting to see the look on his face as the words rolled off her tongue, easier than she'd imagined and more satisfying than she'd expected.

"Might as well start diggin' your grave now Rodger," she snarled, "because Seeley's gonna make sure you lay in it."

April saw the shock closely followed by anger and closed her eyes satisfacting pooling in her stomach. She braced her small body for the punishment it was about to endure.

**_Oh man. Angst train...not the most desirable means of travel is it? But it does make for a scenic trip. _**


	14. Famous Last Words

**_Well, I'm updating, so I'd like to dedicate this chap WOATCAPIITON and niah1988 whom I am BEGGING to update as well. Seriously, the wait is literally draining my life force..._**

---

**It'll all be over soon. I keep telling myself that and I hope it is enough to get me through.**

---

April was aware of the ringing in her ears before she was fully aware of herself. She blinked and looked around to found that she was still in her bedroom. She sat slumped against a different wall this time and she didn't really want to open her mind to the memory of how she got there.

Attempting to push herself up, she whimpered involuntarily and shut her eyes. She hadn't expected the pain that ripped through her body. Unsure as to whether or not it was broken, April hugged her injured arm close to her chest and stood slowly.

Her face felt tight, her lips tasted rusty and she knew he'd hit her, of course, she'd known that already anyway. The more she moved, the more various muscles throbbed and the more she felt like lying down.

Instead she stumbled across the room to the bathroom. Her legs felt tingly from lack of use and she wondered briefly how long she'd been lying on the floor. Groping the wall until she found the light switch, April entered the bathroom and faced the mirror, bracing herself for the worst.

She allowed her eyes to meet that of her reflection and exhaled slowly, almost smiling. It wasn't as bad as it could have been. Her lip was cut and swollen, her left cheek in a similar condition and turning a _lovely_ shade of purple along with a jagged cut above her right eyebrow. Her hair was messy and makeup running all over the place, reminding her that she hadn't had a bath in two days, unless she counted getting soaked to the bone in the rain the night before.

She turned her head from side to side, studying her reflection for any other bruising, and found none. Really, all in all, it wasn't so bad. She'd expected worse after what she said to him, a broken nose or something. But…she was mostly all right. At least she didn't have a black eye this time, she hated that. She needed her eyes to draw.

"April, dinner's ready."

Rodger's voice nearly sent the girl flying from her skin and suddenly her heart was pounding. She gasped in short breaths and glanced around, searching for where the voice had come from.

"April? I heard you moving around up there." She realized he was at the bottom of the stairs and as they began to creek, signaling he was coming up for her, she finally found her voice.

"Uh…yeah, I-I'm going to be down in a second." She dared not move a muscle while waiting for his reply.

"Oh. Okay, don't be long please."

She breathed a sigh of relief when she heard him heading back downstairs.

Hands shaking violently, April used a warm washcloth to wipe the blood and mascara from her face. When she decided she was presentable, she made her way silently down the stairs and sank into a dining room chair, her eyes glued to the floor and then the table.

"Oh, April." Rodger reached out and gently took the girl's chin, trying to turn her face and get a better look at her. "That looks terrible sweetheart."

April stiffened when he touched her, but didn't jerk away, knowing it would only anger him. The sympathy in his eyes made her want to vomit.

He clucked his tongue, shaking his head while he continued to pile food on his plate.

"I didn't mean to April. You shouldn't have said those things…you brought it on yourself, you know." His voice was soft, as if scolding a small child for taking a cookie before finishing dinner.

"I know Rodger, I'm sorry." April said quietly, repeating her well-rehersed line automatically.

Rodger put down the food and reached out to cup her cheek, causing April to flinch away. She looked at him, preparing to let her sharp tongue loose on him, but started to get frantic when she realized how fast the anger was polluting his eyes.

"H-how did you know where I was?" She asked quickly, trying to distract him as she shoved a bit of chicken and rice down her throat.

Rodger relaxed a little and settled into the nearby chair across from her.

"Do you know what an eidetic memory is April?"

Repressing a groan, April responded in monotone.

"It means you have a photographic memory." Of course she knew what that meant, he only told her every single day.

Rodger wiped his mouth on his napkin and clasped his hands. "I saw the card you set down after those meddling cops came by. Special Agent Seeley Booth, 376 West Nelson Ave., Washington DC."

April's eyes widened in horror as he effortlessly recited Booth's address.

-----

A fleet of black SUVs flew down the highway, lights on and sirens blaring. Booth out in front, barking orders into his radio while Brennan white knuckled the armrests for added stability in case Booth's crazy driving left them on the side of the road.

Booth slammed the radio back down when the others confirmed his order to turn off the sirens and lights in approximately twelve miles. His death grip on the steering wheel was really what gave it away. Even Brennan, in all her "lacking people skills" glory, could read Booth's expressions like an open book. The insanely tight steering wheel grip was a dead giveaway for his stress.

"Booth…" She began.

"Bones, I don't know what we're were walking into here so I want you to stay in the car." Booth cut her off in an 'all business' tone that, for anyone else, would have meant it was pointless to argue. But...Brennan never had been like anyone else.

She scoffed. "Yeah right Booth. You think _I'm_ dangerous when I'm agitated? You have a gun!" She scowled at him.

Booth licked his lips and took a deep breath. He'd anticipated this answer, but that didn't make it any easier to take.

"Bones, for once, would you just do what I ask? This guy beats women and children for fun, he escaped police custody, he has April as a hostage and there are twenty agents who are going to be under my command out there…I don't need one more thing to worry about!"

"You don't have to worry about me." She grumbled, not giving an inch.

"But I do anyway Temperance." She was startled at the softness in his tone, sounding completely out of place when she looked over at his tense form in the driver's seat. She sighed heavily.

"Fine. I won't go in the house, but I'm not staying in the car." She crossed her arms, showing that was as good a deal as he was going to get.

"Thank you Bones." Was all he said, more than willing to take that deal.

Suddenly all the lights and sirens died out and the caravan made it's way up the lonely gravel road that to the Dickens' residence.

Dusk was fast turning to night when the cars began to park, agents pouring out of them and swarming the small forest that surrounded the house.

Brennan got out of the SUV and in the fading gray light, glanced over at Booth. She could tell he'd gone into Sniper mode. His movements were quick and calculated, his face void of emotion. He'd shut out everything in the world in order to get his vest and gun ready as quickly as possible. She both admired and worried about the state he was currently in. Strong…unreachable.

The agents began to gather in a small thick of trees about four hundred feet from the house. Booth could see two figures moving inside. He started toward the thers, but caught Brennan's gaze in the process. He went to her.

Kissing her quickly, Booth told her to be safe.

"I'll be right back." He said with a small smile.

She smiled in return and watched him head over to the group of agents, dolling out assignments and taking charge, as usual.

_Be careful Booth, come back. Please._

------

April stared down at her ankle, wiggling her foot at the new weight present on it and winced when the metal started to rub at her skin.

Rodger stepped back, admiring his handiwork. It was a good thing he didn't tell April what that metal bangle was or he might never have managed to get it on her.

"Now, for your own protection April, I suggest you not make anymore attempts to run."

April looked up at him, the unspoken question in her eyes and holding her right wrist to her chest protectivly. It hurt like hell from when Rodger slammed it into the doorjam, penalty for trying to run away not even half an hour ago.

"Becauusssee." He drug out and lifted a small black remote in his hand. "All I have to do is push this button on my clever little remote here, and anywhere you are…you'll be blown to pieces." He grinned triumphantly and April's stomach lurched. She stared down at the device…the bomb, on her ankle.

---

**He made me a prisoner. He wants to home school me now…I'll never leave this place. My world now consists of him and these four walls and pain. No more Tommy, no more Seeley, no more anything. **

**I know I shouldn't be thinking this way…but…what else is there? The Bastard has strapped a bomb to my ankle. What do I do now? What…what…oh God. This is really it.**

**I don't even think Seeley can save me this time.**

---

Rodger cleared the dishes from the table and left April on her spot on the couch. Her head was in her hands, tears running from her eyes and falling to her arms, racing down to be soaked up by her shirt sleeves.

She could feel her body tremble with every heartbeat and she hoped to God the bomb didn't have any sort of motion trigger because she couldn't stop shaking. Darkness fell and silence along with it. April had never felt more alone in her life.

---

**Now, as I'm sitting here with this invisible leash on me…I'm wondering if it would really be so bad to take the leap. To run…maybe the remote won't reach far enough…maybe I'll get this stupid thing off…maybe...**

**But I know I can't. Won't. There's still Seeley and Parker and Tommy…I can't leave them here. Even though I'm pretty convinced at this point that they'll ever see me again…on the off chance they do…I don't want it to be in itty-bitty pieces.**

---

April wasn't even sure when she'd said it, or why, but she knew she hoped she never said it again.

"I don't ever want to hear that name again, you hear me?" Rodger spat. He held April's frail body up against the wall, his large hand pressing against her throat with a dangerous amount of force.

Tears ran out of April's eyes as she tried in vain to pull his hand off her throat and draw air into her lungs.

"I'm sorry." She choked out, "I won't do it again."

His eyes were crazed, he didn't even seem to see her.

"I don't _ever_ want to hear it again April. He took my family from me. He accused me of murder…he would have taken you too…" His eyes suddenly focused on her again, "April, if you ever say the name Seeley Booth again I will make sure you regret it."

April nodded as best she could and used her dark green eyes to plead with him to let her go. Unconsciousness was tickling the sides of her brain and she wanted so badly to ignore it, but she didn't know how much longer she could.

Rodger's grip started to loosen and as she opened her eyes, sucking oxygen greedily.

She felt his arms encase her and closed her eyes, stiffening in his embrace.

"I'm sorry April." He rubbed her back gently and cooed into her ear. "I didn't mean to hurt you sweetheart, I just lost my head."

---

**I believe the word he was looking for was 'mind'. He lost his mind. And that is a fact I am well aware of, it's a permanent state really, not a recent occurrence.**

**---**

Rodger started to pull out of the hug and look at her when there was a crashing sound and the house was suddenly overrun with occupants and noise. People burst through every door and window, shouting, moving. Plates and windows shattered and April, still coming back from the brink of unconcious, tried to decide whether these were good guys or bad guys and wondered why she didn't seem to care.

She didn't even have time to panic. Rodger twisted himself around behind her and pressed his back up against the wall.

"Step back, all of you!" He shouted, his right hand wrapped firmly around April's shoulders, his left raised in the air gripping a small black remote.

"FBI! Let the girl go Dickens!"

April searched the dozens of faces surrounding her, looking past the guns, beneath helmets and around the masks hoping to see a single face. Finally she saw him, wearing only a bulletproof vest for protection, the scariest look she'd ever seen on his face.

Booth's weapon was trained unwaveringly on Rodger's head, looking him straight in the eye, refusing to waver.

Rodger got a firmer grip on April's shoulders as Special Agent Booth took another step forward.

"Stay back Agent Booth. One press of this button and we all go up in smoke." He said evenly. Booth paused, he was uneasy at the look he saw in Rodger's eyes. A look only a man with nothing left to lose wore.

A man with a grudge and nothing to lose, was a _very _dangerous man.

"It's a bomb Seeley." April whimpered and she noticed that the people in the house quieted immediately. Tears rolled softly down her cheeks but she feel them, didn't even notice when the salt in them settled in the small cuts on her face, she was so used to crying now.

April's small hands tried to pull down on Rodger's arm, as if she was doing a pull-up on a metal bar, her face peaked out from behind it. But it was no use. She wasn't getting away until Rodger let go.

"Everybody out! We've got a bomb on the premises. Garrison, call for the Bomb Squad." Someone shouted, maybe even Booth, and movement was instantaneous as agents and SWAT teams cleared the house.

April watched, but Booth didn't move a muscle.

"Rodger. Put the remote down." Booth said as calmly as possible with his heart pounding in his ears.

Rodger seemed flustered, now alone in the room with just April and Booth, but made no move to put down the trigger.

"No. You put down your gun…then maybe I'll let her go."

"Not good enough Rodger." Booth slowly inched forward, hoping to get at least a hit or two in before this psycho blew himself up.

"Well it'll have to be!" The man shouted, his were eyes wild, resembling a cornered animal.

"It's just you and me Rodge, I want you to calm down and let April go."

"No! Step back! I'll set off this bomb Agent Booth. I swear."

April bit her lip to keep from crying out and then squeezed shut her eyes to keep from yelping at how much it hurt to bite her already split and swollen lip.

_Just shoot him already Booth!_

Booth looked at April for the first time and fought to keep his face neutral.

_He beat her. This sonuvabitch is gonna pay._

When his eyes returned to Rodger, a new anger blazed within them. In a voice that sent shudders down her spine and was so low she had to strain to hear it, April heard the most important words Booth would ever say to her.

"April, close your eyes and don't…move."

Rodger's eyes widened and then turned to a scowl. He pressed his thumb to the small white button.

"Goodbye Agent Booth."

"Goodbye Rodger."

"Oh Shit."

**_Duh duh duuuuhhhhh._**


	15. Is it Finally Over?

**_Okay, this one is short, so since I feel so badly for not updating in such an obcenly long amount of time, I will post chap16 tonight as well. Okay..._**

---

**Breathe. Should you have to remind yourself to breathe?**

**Breathe.**

---

Most people would have screamed, or fallen to the ground or simply stood there trembling. Not April.

Booth's bullet left his gun a fraction of a second before Rodger pressed his remote and it was over before it began. With a .38 bullet lodged in his skull, Rodger dropped the remote and fell along side it, finally releasing April in every sense of the word.

That's where April differed from the norm. Seconds after the shot, her ears still ringing, still gasping for air that now smelt of gunpowder and still shaking off the feeling of the bullet whizzing by her ear, April wasted no time.

As soon as she felt Rodger's arms go lax, April turned around to watch him fall to the ground, a tiny trickle of blood rolling down the side of his face from where the bullet had entered directly between his eyebrows. With only a moment's hesitation she swung back her booted foot and slammed it into the corpses ribs with as much strength as she had, which granted, wasn't much. She stumbled and glared at his dead eyes.

"Bastard."

Agents again flooded the house and Booth shouted for the Bomb Squad while he re-holstered his gun.

"We're workin' on it!" Someone shouted in return. He turned back to April, who stood still, clutching one arm to her chest, her eyes glued to Rodger's corpse.

"April! April are you alright?" Without a second thought he grabbed her shoulders and gently turned her away from the body. "April, don't look at him anymore. Look at me, talk to me Sweetheart."

She knew it wasn't the same. She knew when Booth said it he meant it, he said it because he cared. She _knew_ it was different than when Rodger called her 'Sweetheart' or when Rodger took her shoulders…but it didn't matter.

April jumped out of his grip and pressed her back up against the wall.

Booth watched as her dark eyes turned stony, and the vulnerability and relief vanished, leaving only a cool exterior strength. A façade.

_Walls. I hate the walls! Why do all the women I love have so many damn walls?_

"Agent Booth the Bomb Squad is on their way."

Booth barely acknowledged the other agent, but instead stepped toward April, wishing he could wrap her in a strong hug and ensure both her and himself that it would all be all right.

April's eyes went to a spot on the floor and Booth followed them to Rodger.

"Don't call me sweetheart."

---

**It kind of figures that I'd get numb now. Now that I'm more or less safe, still have a bomb strapped to my leg, but other than that…I've got Booth and Dr. Brennan here, I should be more emotional. The man kidnapped me and beat me! I should be hysterical now that it's okay to do so. Instead I feel like my brain is disconnected from my body because, as I stare at Rodger, I suddenly know that being afraid was easier when I didn't know how not to be…and suddenly, now, I want that security back. That ignorance. **

**I want to know it's all really truly over…**

---

"Booth!" Brennan took off from her place beside the SUV and ran toward the house in nothing more than jeans, a sweater and heels, much to the chagrin of the SWAT teams that were watching.

They'd all heard the gunshot and held their breath, hoping it really was a gunshot and not something else.

Brennan waited, and when nothing seemed to be happening, she joined the group of armed men heading toward the house, trying to keep her panic under control.

"Booth!"

April and Booth turned to see Brennan pushing her way inside the house past black-clad FBI agents.

"Bones you shouldn't be here."

"Booth are you okay?" She interrupted. "Is April?"

Booth shrugged and watched closely while the paramedics addressed her injuries.

"Talk to her Bones." He said after a few long moments. She gave him a look that made it abundantly clear that she didn't think that was a good idea.

"What? Why do you want _me_ to talk to her? Why can't you?"

Pain filled his eyes and she waited, "Because she's afraid of me."

Brennan's eyes widened. "How do you know…

"Because I'm a man, Bones because something I did or said reminded her of him. She won't let me come near her. Please Bones." He gave her his most sorrowful smile and she finally agreed, as if she could deny him anything.

"I hate psychology." She muttered, making her way over to the wall. She kneeled down to be on eye level with April, who slowly met her gaze.

"April…are you ready to go?"

**_Okay, the next chap will be up momentarily._**


	16. Aftershock

**_Again, sorry it's taken so long to update guys, it's been hectic with the last week of school and all. Okay, thanks SO much for the reviews and here's the next chap!!_**

---

**There's a voice, and I suppose I can see her…but it's like I'm looking out from underwater. All the sounds are blurring together, static from radios, talking…I can still smell the gunpowder and my heart hurts from pounding on my ribs…I'm aware of her being there. Seeley too. But I can't seem to bring myself out from under this water.**

---

April met her gaze slowly and tried to speak, but there was still so much movement in the house, so many people looking at her…it was too much.

Brennan watched her struggle to come to grips with what had happened in the past few minutes, sympathy overwhelmed her.

Looking back at Booth, she spoke loudly over the commotion.

"Booth you need to get these people out of here."

Booth looked past her at April, whose head lay back against the wall, staring blankly into space, her hands shaking

"Hey!" Booth let out a shrill whistle and everyone stopped, "I need the space guys."

"But Sir they're collecting evidence…"

"And they can continue, after we're gone. The body isn't going anywhere. They can finish once we get April out of here."

"But Agent Booth…"

"I said _now_." Booth gave a young agent kneeling near Rodger's body a glare that set his skin on fire and the rookie nodded.

"Yes sir."

Within minutes the house was empty except for Booth, Brennan and April. Booth crept closer and knelt alongside Brennan.

"We're gonna go to the couch okay April?"

April nodded mutely, allowed them to help her to her feet, and sat on the couch between them. Booth had laid his arm cautiously across her back, and shoulders and she hadn't flinched away.

Brennan sat next to her on the right, eyeing her left cheek.

"We should get that looked at, it might be fractured."

Booth glanced at Brennan and then down at April's cheek. It was growing red and purple, swelling to a painful size. Booth's fist clenched in his lap and his face hardened as he glanced back over at Rodger's body, now covered with a white sheet.

He almost wished he wasn't such a good shot. If Rodger had had the chance to run, Booth would have had an excuse to catch him and beat him senseless.

"Agent Booth, the Bomb Squad is here."

Booth lifted his walkie talkie off his belt and looked at April, who's eyes glanced over at him and then away quickly, never losing their blank expression.

"Send them in."

---

**Sometimes being numb isn't enough. Sometimes you just need a distraction because the world inside your head isn't big enough or strong enough to keep you there. Times like when someone is disarming a bomb that's strapped to your ankle. Times like this.**

---

Booth felt a squeeze on his hand and looked down. He was surprised to see that April's hand had somehow worked it's way inside his, his large one enveloping her tight fist and he felt every small tremble that rattled her body.

"I didn't mean it."

Her whisper fell in time with the deafening ticking of the clock and only the look in her dark eyes told him she'd actually spoken. They'd lost the dull vacant look, back to the green vibrancy he knew so well.

"I didn't mean to pull away." April flinched when the tech disarming the bomb cursed under his breath, but was relived when the world remained in tact before her. She closed her eyes briefly and felt a warm hand gently touch her cheek. She fought not to recoil from it.

"You don't owe me an explanation April."

She nodded and smiled.

"Thank you. But…I really do." She sighed and glanced at Brennan on the other side of her, who studied the pair intently.

Turning back to Booth, she continued quietly.

"It was just…instinct. I knew, I know, you would never hurt me. But it was like…I could still feel his hands on my skin…his voice in my head," April's voice started to break with tears and she felt hands, though she was no longer sure whose, begin to pull her back, closer, to a warmth and security she was sure she'd never feel again. "It was like he was still there. Even though I knew you'd shot him…I could still feel him everywhere. And it…made it hard to breathe….I couldn't think."

Booth's heart ached in his chest as he watched April struggle to find words for the pain. He wanted so badly to take that burden from her, and was frustrated to no end that he couldn't.

"I just needed a minute to get past it. That's all. That's why I pulled away. I…it's not easy to go from fear to safe, it's not like flipping a switch. It takes a minute." April moved her eyes back to Booth's, "I'm safe now."

Booth nodded, glancing at Brennan, who smiled softly at him in reassurance and he turned that reassuring smile on April.

"You're safe now." He recognized that the last part of her statement had really been more of a question; he wanted her to know that it was true. "I won't let anything else happen to you."

April nodded looked down, doubt still crawling across her eyes.

Slowly, Booth leaned over and turned her chin toward him. Leaning in, he placed a gentle, loving kiss on her forehead.

April smiled up at him. "Thanks Uncle Seeley. For everything."

Booth returned her smile. "You're welcome Bug."

The Bomb Squad technician stat back on his haunches, letting out a sigh of relief.

"All set." He looked up and was surprised to see all three of the people on the couch, teary eyes and smiling.

_What'd I miss?_

---------

"What about Parker and Tommy?"

April, Booth and Brennan were halfway through their forty-five minute drive back to DC where April would be getting a full check up in the Emergency Room.

Booth and Brennan exchanged a quick glance April didn't see before he answered her.

"Parker's fine, a little shook up, but okay. He went back to Rebecca's earlier today."

April's expression grew pained. She knew things hadn't gotten off well with Booth and his ex after Parker was born and assumed by the state of his apartment that he didn't see the boy very much.

"Oh, Seeley, I'm sorr…"

"No." Booth lifted a hand from the steering wheel and stopped her, "This is _not_. Your. Fault. None of this."

"I know but if I hadn't come…"

"No." Booth said again, and April knew there was no use arguing.

"Okay. What about Tommy?"

Again Booth and Brennan exchanged glances, only this time April noticed.

"What? What is it?"

"April maybe we should wait…" Brennan hoped her voice was bargaining, but from the way April reacted, she thought she was probably doing it wrong.

"No! Where is Tommy?" April demanded, fighting down the panic rising in her chest, but failing miserably.

Booth sighed. "He's in the hospital. Rodger hit him on the head and put him in the closet." He glanced in the rear view, but April seemed to be taking it okay. "He's got some swelling in his brain, he's in surgery trying to relieve the pressure."

April paused for a moment to take this in.

"I want to see him."

"April…" Booth was interrupted by the chirping of his cell phone and he pulled it out, apologizing to the others in the car.

Brennan watched scenery fly the window with a blank expression that showed she was thinking about something far removed from the trees passing outside.

What she didn't know was that April had the exact same expression on her face from where she sat in the back of the SUV.

"Yes sir…will do." Booth shut his phone and glanced at April and then at Brennan.

"They've got Chris, they're waiting for us to question him down at the Hoover building."

April immediately perked up.

"Is that Courtney's case?" Seeing the look on their faces, she continued.

"I want to come with you."

"April you can't…"

"I'll wait out in the hallway. Please Seeley! Tommy's in surgery right, so I wouldn't be able to see him right away? Please. I want to know what asshole did this to her."

Finally Booth sighed. "Fine, but straight to the hospital after this"

April nodded and sat back against the seat once more, waiting patiently for the Hoover Building to come into view.

**_Okay, so there's still quite a bit left, if you're still enjoying this, feel free to poke that cute little buttong down there. Promise he won't bite..._**


	17. Bits and Pieces Come Together

**_Hope this chap is enjoyable! Thanks for the reviews, you guys ROCK!_**

---

**It's nice to find a kindred spirit. She's got a really bold style, in your face and proud of it. I like that. I like it because art allows her to do that, and because that means it could be allowed of me.**

**---**

Brennan and Booth breezed through the doors of the FBI building, one skinny girl in black pants and an oversized gray shirt in tow.

Once in the elevator they exchanged looks, trying to figure out what they would do with April once they got upstairs. She couldn't very well come in while they interrogated Chris.

The answer came in the form of a shrill voice yelling their names.

"Temperance Brennan and Seeley Booth if I wasn't wearing my best Prada heels I'd kick your butts!" Every head in the bullpen and three heads exiting the elevator turned toward Booth's office.

There, arms crossed over a boldly patterned pink and purple blouse and denim jacket, Angela glared at her two closest friends. Her black lace leggings peaked out from under a purple skirt as she stalked over to them, ignoring the questioning looks dozens of agents were throwing in her direction.

"Angela what…"

"Ange are you..."

"Where the hell were you?" Angela had not yet said her piece and was going to make sure she did before the offending parties got the chance, "I've been worried sick! Okay, you have to call me when you're going to do something like this. You have too many run-ins with mobsters, gangsters, murderers and psychos to be ignoring phone calls. I thought you were dead!" She threw her hands in the air and stared at them impatiently.

Booth and Brennan pulled out their cell phones while April looked on from her place off to the side, a tinge of amusement in her eyes as she watched the scene play out.

Booth cringed and Brennan winced and they both peered over the other's shoulder at the phones. Booth had four missed calls, all from Angela. Brennan had six, from the same.

"I'm sorry about that Ange, we had a…situation. We were waiting for the bomb squad and…"

"The Bomb squad!? I rest my case."

"Angela could you keep it down?" Booth glanced apologetically at his coworkers and attempted to guide the women to his office, looking back every few seconds to be sure April was following.

"Angela just take a deep breath and calm down."

"Calm down. Booth I wouldn't need to calm down if you two would just answer your damn phones. Any other time you pick up almost before it's finished the first ring, this time your both completely gone. You run off after finding out that your apartment was broken into and your main suspect escaped jail...and your both MIA. What was I supposed to think?" Angela paced while Booth and Brennan watched her. April found her way to the chair behind Booth's desk and eased herself down into it, waiting for the drama to be over.

She was able to drown out most of the argument by doodling on Booth's desk calendar and only a few words wormed their way into her subconscious.

Irrational…cannot believe…deep breaths…fine…suspect waiting…good…worried…why in the world…illogical…love you

April looked up and found the dark haired woman hugging both Booth and Dr. Brennan and she wondered what had happened to make her change her attitude so quickly.

Booth walked over to April and smiled down at her, smoothing her already flat black hair, the tiniest bit of brown peeking out at the roots.

"Bones and I need to go but Angela will wait here with you okay?"

April returned to her sketch and nodded, suddenly feeling too tired to argue. She wanted to see the person confess and she wanted to see Tommy more than ever. She knew they could get their jobs done faster and better if she wasn't there.

She didn't even notice when the partners left the room.

-----

Booth and Brennan sauntered into the interrogation room. She with her hands in her pockets, he with the file tucked under his arm. They wore an expression of scrutiny mixed with intimidation as they settled into the table across from Chris Pike.

No one would have guessed that Brennan had worked on that 'tough cop' expression for hours in her bedroom mirror when she and Booth first became partners, trying the whole time to visualize Booth, hoping she would one day belong in his world of 'chasing bad guys' just a little bit more easily.

Brennan leaned against the table in the interrogation room, her arms folded in front of her.

"So. You ready to talk?"

-----

April felt a presence next to her and nearly jumped out of her skin.

"Whoa, there. Sorry, I didn't mean to scare you, I was just coming to see what you were drawing." Angela peered over the girls' shoulder at the doodle on Booth's desk calendar.

"Oh. Okay." April swallowed her adrenalin and nodded. "It's just…"

"Beautiful." Angela interrupted softly, reaching out to touch the intricate cross-hatch portrait that covered the last weekend in May.

April smiled up at the dark haired artist, feeling more at ease by the moment.

"Um…thanks."

-----

Booth gave Brennan a pleased glance out of the corner of his eye.

_I'll make a cop out of you yet Bones._

"Chris we found remnants of your brand of cigarettes on the clothes Courtney was wearing the night she died." Booth pulled his attention back to the case and started laying out photos in front of the young man.

Brennan narrowed her eyes at him and pointed to the picture of the victims' skull.

"And you're height and weight matches that of Courtney's killer."

Chris's forehead began to pop out beads of sweat and he shifted nervously in his chair. When he opened his mouth Booth expected him to request a lawyer, but that's not what he got.

"They were everywhere."

-----

"You really think so?" April and Angela had settled into the couch under the one window in Booth's office and had Angela's sketchbook spread out across their laps.

"Oh yeah, definitely. The balance here with the tree and the darkness here, creates a definite mood. Ominous almost." April nodded and pointed to the different parts of Angela's drawing. Her dark eyes sparkled like fresh cut emeralds, it had been so long since she got the chance to seriously talk art with someone, she'd forgotten how good it felt.

"Thanks, that's sort of the idea I was going for. I drew it a little while after I started working with Bren and the gang. It wasn't such a great time for me."

April reached up to push her hair out of her eyes and get a better look at the next drawing, but winced when she tried to move her wrist. Ignoring the pain as it receded to a dull throb, she turned the page.

"So what do you do there?"

Angela sighed. "Well, my boss once told me I give the dead back their faces, their identities. See, when we get body's there's usually very little soft tissue left, which means we really have no idea what they looked like when they were alive. It's my job to figure it out."

A few seconds ticked by on the stainless steel clock above the door, interrupting the delicate quiet they'd succumbed to.

"You give them back to their families." April said finally, gingerly touching a drawing of a smiling girl who stared up at her with bright gray eyes.

"Nah, I'd say that part is a team effort."

-----

"What do you mean? Who's they?" Booth leaned forward, but the kid seemed to be off in his own world, no longer listening.

"They kept crawling all over her. Eating her skin and her eyes…I just wanted them off. I-I was trying to help. She was screaming…I was just trying to help."

Brennan watched as the boy's voice broke apart in sobs and exchanged a suspicious glance with Booth. Before either of them got a chance to ask anything, Chris continued.

"Then they started to get on me, I could feel them crawling everywhere." Chris looked up at them, tears streaming down his nose and cheeks as he looked from Brennan to Booth and back.

"I swear I never meant to hurt her…I-I was just trying to get the spiders off."

-----

"So tell me about him?"

April sighed and Angela smiled, recognizing the wistful look on the girl's face as she stared off . The look all women got when they were in love.

"He's just wonderful in everyway possible. We met a few years back, were friends for a while and then…" She smiled, shaking her head, "I got drunk one night at a party. Couple of jerks thought they'd get an easy score but Tommy stopped them. He loaded me into his car and took me home. I ended up puking on him, the poor guy. But he never complained. Through all my foster homes and all the messes that have made up my life, he's always been there, no matter what." April shook her head in awe-struck disbelief. "I don't deserve him."

Angela smiled, patting April's knee.

"Every girl deserves a knight in shining armor."

-----

Brennan looked at the papers in her hand while Booth stared through the glass at Chris, still sobbing with his head laying on the metal table.

"He's been picked up before, Minor in Possession. He tested positive for LSD, cocaine, heroine…" She read slowly off the notes in his rap sheet.

"Pretty heavy duty stuff for a young kid." Booth muttered, fingering the poker chip in his pocket and studying the young man on the other side of the glass.

"…picked up twice for breaking and entering but never any violent crimes." She lifted her eyes, "Yes, but it would explain the hallucinations of the spiders and why he went crazy trying to get them off. Probably pushed her down and…" She let her sentence trail off, not really wanting to think about exactly how Chris had gone about killing Courtney.

"You do realize he could plead insanity." Brennan asked, trying to get some response from her suddenly quiet partner.

"Yeah," He reached for his cuffs and went to the door, "and it would be true."

-----

"Eeeewww. I would barf!" Angela squealed between her laughter.

April nodded vigorously, every gasp for breath pained her but she didn't care, she liked laughing with Angela.

"I know. I almost did, but he ate 'em. Seeley ate every last hot dog and won first place…but I don't think he's eaten a hot dog since." April smiled widely at the memory. "Then he won me a giant pink elephant at the shooting game . Hit every target."

"I bet the guy who ran the booth was really upset. Had no idea he was dealing with an ex sniper." Angela shook her head imagining a young cocky Booth picking out the biggest stuffed animal he could see for his favorite goddaughter.

"No, I bet he didn't."

The girls took a few minutes to calm down before speaking again.

"So how much longer do you think they'll be?" April got up to study the pictures on Booth's desk. Pictures of Parker, Booth's parents, a bunch of people in blue lab coats, and one of he and Dr. Brennan. She smiled.

"I don't know. However long it takes I guess. I'm not usually around when they do this kind of stuff."

April turned around to respond and spotted Booth and Brennan emerging from a small room on the other side of the bullpen, a skinny young man with sunken eyes and pale skin walking in front of them.

"April I…April?" Angela looked up just in time to see the girl practically run from the office and towards something outside.

"Is this the guy who did it?" April asked sharply when she was about twenty feet away. Brennan stood back, her hands in her pockets, and Booth unceremoniously tugged Chris back.

"Yes it is." Brennan stated, her usual bluntness was ignored, only because Booth knew what was about o happen.

"April you should…" He began.

"I'm sorry April." Chris croaked.

Setting her lips in a hard line, April allowed her self to come toe to toe with the boy.

"You did this to her?" She ground out through clenched teeth.

Chris cast down his eyes. "I'm sorry."

_WHAMMO_!

Booth, in all his lightning fast Special Forces army trained glory, did not see the hit coming. April pulled back her right hand and slammed the heel of it directly into Chris' nose, setting it bleeding immediately as he stumbled backward into Booth.

"You don't deserve the air you're breathing." She spat. Not making eye contact with either Booth or Brennan, afraid of the vulnerability they might see, April turned and marched off toward the elevators.

Her arm was blindingly painful now and she was beginning to think it would be a good idea to start heading to the hospital.

---

**Well that was genius of me. I probably shattered my stupid hand.**

**I can only hope I also broke his stupid nose.**

---

**_Fiesty little thing ain't she? lol. Please review. _**


	18. The Waiting Room

**_Thanks for all the fabulous reviews, I'm glad everyone likes April so much, she's one of my fave original characters._**

**---**

**They won't tell me anything. But then…what is there to say? He's having brain surgery...they are putting holes in his skull! What do you say about that??...'Gee, I hope they don't slip'?**

**---**

April fidgeted in the back of the SUV waiting impatiently for the hospital to come into view.

The gray skies had broken apart when they left the Hoover building and now the windshield and roof were being pelted with large fat raindrops that only served to increase the severity of the quiet inside the SUV.

Booth cleared his throat, preparing the silence to be broken.

"We should take you to the ER first, get that cheek checked out." He glanced at April in the rear view and could see the bruise on her face was turning an ugly purplish green.

"Her right wrist too. I'm worried some of the Carpal bones might be damaged." Brennan had noticed the way April was favoring her right arm and Booth was reminded yet again why is was good to have a forensic anthropologist around. Glancing at her in the corner of his eye, he amended that thought.

_Especially _this _forensic anthropologist._

April just nodded. She hated to admit that she was stalling, but she was. She was afraid of what she might find when Tommy came out of surgery.

---

**Besides, my arm really does hurt…and my cheek too. A lot. It's not necessarily stalling if you really have medical issues to attend to…right?**

**I mean, he's probably fine. But going upstairs and waiting, worrying myself to death isn't going to get him out any quicker and it's certainly not going to help my pounding headache.**

**Yeah. I'm not stalling. And Seeley would look great in a Tutu.**

**---**

Her legs swung back and forth in time with the ticking clock while she waited on the examination table. The doctor was due in at any moment, but right now she was alone. The paper crinkled beneath her when she shifted her weight and sat on her hands, trying to get them warm. She glanced at the pile of old magazines, but didn't pick one up. She looked to the window, but the cool gray backdrop wasn't much to look at.

The door opened and the doctor smiled at her. She attempted a smile back, but mostly it hurt her cheek so she didn't try much.

She didn't like the way his eyes roamed over her skin, no doubt making their own decisions about how and why she got those bruises and scars. Her heart pounded like it always did when the doctors examined her, her head still ready to lie if the need arose, even though she knew it wasn't necessery anymore.

Everything seemed normal…same tests, same examinations, same sympathetic looks.

But then her mouth went dry.

---

**they wanna look at my _what_? They've never had to check _that_ before. This should be great.**

---

Booth paced the waiting room frowning at the carpet.

"I just don't understand why we can't wait with her."

Brennan sat I the nearby chair sipping what was left of Booth's vending machine coffee.

"She needs some privacy for some of these procedures Booth." She stated calmly, knowing full well that she was repeating verbatim what the doctor had told them not fifteen minutes ago.

Booth sighed, scratching his neck.

"But she said he never touched her, why would they need to do a rape kit?" His stomach churned just mentioning it.

Brennan took a deep breath, her eyes flooding with compassion as she set down the cup and walked toward him.

"Booth you know that after everything she's been through she might not be telling the truth." She stated as gently as possible. When he didn't look at her she reached or his arm and turned him toward her.

He finally met her eyes, his own glassy as he attempted a calming breath.

"I can't…he can't have…if he…" He tried repeatedly to tell her what he was afraid to think about. He knew he'd failed April imensly by letting her get kidnapped, but that was something he might eventually be able to forgive himself for…but if Rodger touched her…

His thought was cut off when Brennan pulled him toward her, wrapping her small arms around his bulky torso, she pulled his head down onto her shoulder.

"God, Bones if…" His words were muffled against her shoulder but the distress was plain.

"Shhh…we don't know anything yet." She stroked his hair, "Don't jump to conclusions without evidence."

Booth laughed slightly and pulled back to look at her.

"Have you ever found a situation in which that statement was applicable?"

Brennan smiled. "No, not as of yet."

Booth returned her smile and leaned down, kissing her gently, simultaneously conveying appreciation and apprehension. Brennan responded willingly, hoping to share with him her strength.

A rather obvious cough at the doorway and the two sprang apart as if caught in the middle of committing a felony.

"She's getting dressed now," A middle-aged doctor with dark hair smiled at the partners. "Maybe you could go help her? She's going to be sore for quite a bit until the pain meds kick in." He asked, looking at Brennan. She nodded.

"I'll go." Reaching for Booth's hand, she gave it a quick squeeze and smiled reassuringly before leaving the room.

When she was gone the doctor stepped forward, pushing his glasses up on his nose even though they immediately slid back down.

"So...what's the verdict? Is she gonna be okay?" Booth raised his eyebrows at the doctor anxiously.

"She didn't seem to have any internal bleeding, a sprain in her right wrist and several severe bruises were really the worst of her injuries. She had lacerations on her back and the backs of her legs, we bandaged them. They were most likely caused by falling into a glass table or door."

Booth winced but the doctor continued, holding out several orange bottles for Booth to take.

"These are the antibiotics to fight infection and these are the painkillers. She can't take them on an empty stomach and they will most likely put her to sleep. Make sure she takes them three times a day and she needs to have the bandages changed at least twice a day."

Booth numbly took the bottles and almost let the doctor walk out before he became aware enough to call out.

"Hey Doc!"

"Yes?"

"Um…" Booth stepped closer, his palms sweating, "There was a…rape kit…was…" Booth trailed off, his head pounding. He relaxed though when the doctor gave him a comforting smile.

"No Agent Booth, April was not sexually assaulted."

Booth sighed and closed his eyes, sending up a prayer of Thanks.

When he opened them again two women stood before him.

"Uncle Seeley," April spoke as softly as before and he focused on hearing her. Brennan's hand rested reassuringly on her upper back. "I'm ready to go see Tommy now."

---

**I hope I am at least.**

---

**_You know you wanna...push dat button!_**


	19. Fix the Twist in You

**_Okay, time lapse at the beginning, don't worry, it makes sense at the end._**

"No." She started shaking her head, backing away from him, her face a mixture of fear and betrayal. "No he's not. Tommy's not….no."

"April I'm sorry." Booth began toward her.

April shook her head more vigorously, her hands held out in front of her as if to push him away. "No. No no." She kept repeating.

She stepped back again and felt the wall. She was trapped and he was talking and she was suffocating.

"No Seeley you're lying! Why are you lying to me?"

-----------Earlier------------

The elevator dinged and the doors opened. Booth and Brennan stepped out to lead the way down the hall, but turned when they realized they were not being followed.

Booth glanced around, but no April.

"She got off didn't she?" He asked Brennan, who only stuck out her bottom lip and shrugged.

They went back the way they'd come and found April sitting on a bench outside the elevator. She looked small, sitting cross-legged with her head bowed, wringing her hands in her lap.

They couldn't see her face, her long hair creating a curtain on either side, but Booth didn't need to see, he knew the blank look he hated so much was back in her eyes and it both frustrated and concerned him.

Brennan reached for his hand and squeezed it.

"Give me a minute, huh?"

Booth let his eyes slide between April and Brennan and nodded.

Brennan watched him walk down the hall to find a doctor and turned back to April.

_She's retreating inside herself, protecting herself from what she's afraid we'll find…I know the feeling._

April took a deep breath, she could feel Dr. Brennan's eyes on her and she was tired of being watched, while everyone waited for a sign of weakness.

She decided the façade of bravado was too tiring to keep up.

"I can't lose him." She said in a surprisingly steady voice. She licked her lips. "Two years ago Tommy and his dad were hostages in a bank robbery. There was a two hour standoff with the police and for two hours I worried myself sick over whether or not I'd see him again." She shook her head, and bit her lip. "I couldn't survive if I lost him."

Brennan blinked hard, angered and saddened by everything April had been through. But she also knew from experience that everything she'd been through had only served to make her stronger. To make her the kind of girl that fought for what she wanted, the kind of girl who punched murderers in the nose.

She reached for her hand.

"April," she waited until the girl looked at her, "first, you should never worry about what hasn't happened yet. It doesn't do anything but make waiting all that much harder." She smiled and April nodded.

"Second, I have no doubt that…no matter what happens, no matter what the outcome of this is, you will be a better, stronger person because of it." She squeezed her hand, "You will survive."

April smiled, almost laughing.

"But I don't want to survive Dr. Brennan, I want to live."

Brennan quirked her eyebrows. "It's the same thing."

"No. No it's not. Surviving is…remembering to breathe everyday and eating breakfast every morning. Living is laughing and crying and…making an impression on the world."

Brennan listened to the wisdom in April's words and smiled.

"Like I said, you are going to be just fine."

April seemed confused for a second, but finally nodded.

"I hope you're right."

Brennan squeezed her hand, rising to her feet and pulling April along with her.

"Are you kidding? I'm Dr. Temperance Brennan, I'm always right."

April laughed softly and followed Brennan around the corner to where Booth and Mr. and Mrs. Hopkins were waiting.

A shiver ran up her spine and she wondered what it was, there was no air conditioning after all she was burning up. A shudder closely followed the shiver and she hugged her arms.

Ignoring the inexplicable sinking in her stomach, April slowly approached the trio, Brennan at her side.

"Any word yet?" She asked timidly.

Booth turned toward her slowly and she frowned. Even she could read the sympathy and apprehension in his eyes.

"Seeley?"

He started to say something but was cut off when Mrs. Hopkins suddenly lunged out of the arms of her husband, April noticed for the first time the tears on her cheeks.

---

**When Seeley says it, I almost believe it. When Dr. Brennan agrees with him, I do…but only for a second. I mean, it is logical. He was there because of me, got hurt because he was there, therefore, Tommy is hurt because of me.**

**But I guess I've been taught to feel guilt,y to believe everything is my fault and as such, my responsibility to fix.**

**When Seeley says it's not I can almost believe him. But when Mrs. Hopkins says it is, and I can tell she means it with every fiber of her being…it's hard to ignore**.

---

"This is all you're fault! He was there with you! If he hadn't been with you, you little lying brat. This is all your fault!"

Mr. Hopkins pulled his wife back to his chest and she sobbed hard against him.

April remained completely still, shock had her mouth hanging open.

"W-what happened?" She finally got out, once Booth had moved her down the hall a bit.

"April…Tommy, the damage was more extensive than we realized, his heart stopped…"

April gasped and shut her eyes, biting her lip.

"No." She shook her head, the look on her face a mixture of fear and betrayal. "No he's not. Tommy's not….no."

"April..." Booth began toward her.

April shook her head more vigorously, her hands held out in front of her as if to push him away. "No. No no." She kept repeating.

She stepped back again and felt the wall. She was trapped and he was talking and she was suffocating.

Her eyes flashed with anger, the first emotion Booth had seen since they disarmed the bomb around her ankle.

"NO! You're lying!" She suddenly screamed. Booth had enough and stepped toward her again, trying to hug her. But April was having none of it.

"You're lying! Why are you lying to me?"

The first hit wasn't hard at all, didn't contain the satisfying thud her punches usually ended with, but she'd hit him. Booth stared at her and April stared at the spot on his chest where she'd just landed her fist.

After a few seconds all rational thought fled her mind and she lifted her other fist, hitting him with that one too, sending shudders of pain througth the brace and up her arm, but she didn't care.

Booth didn't blink, knew she needed to do this as the hot tears spilled down her cheeks.

"Why are you doing this Seeley? Why are you lying to me?" Her fists were a blur, out in front of her, but maybe that was just the salty tears in her eyes. "No no no no." She said over and over, her mind shut down. All she knew was the pain. Pain so deep she felt she was literally being torn in half. Pain so sharp she couldn't breathe. She was in pain, she was hurting and all she knew was she needed Booth to hurt to. She was hurting so someone else had to hurt too.

"April please." Booth pleaded, trying to keep her from hurting herself or him too badly with her flailing hands. But he knew she couldn't hear him. He saw her start to go down, her legs giving out under the weight of her heart and reached out to catch her by her upper arms, pulling her back up.

April felt Booth start to stand her back up from where her legs had begun to fail her and she'd never felt so trapped. The wall behind her and Booth's broad chest in front of her, his arms on either side and Tommy was gone.

"No!" She shouted one last time before wrenching her arms from his grip and stumbling down the hall.

The air seemed cooler than before and, for some reason the pictures were flying by much faster than usual.

It wasn't until she hit the intern with the arm full of clipboards that she realized she was running. In the recesses of her mind she could vaguely make out the sound of Booth's footsteps behind her, him calling out her name as she ran, so she pushed herself harder.

Tommy was gone and all she wanted to do was go right along with him.

The doors appeared in front of her and without hesitation April slammed into them, causing them to fly wide open and lead her out into the pouring rain outside.

Within seconds she was soaked to the skin and she stopped in the middle of the parking lot.

Her hands on her knees, she bent over trying to catch her breath.

"No he promised he'd stay. He's not dead. It's all a big misunderstanding it just can't be." Her voice was steadily rising and she flung her head upwards, welcoming the cold rain onto her face and mouth.

"NO!" She screamed with more force than she knew she possessed. Her chest burned and she screamed again, more desperately as she pleaded with a God she didn't not know to bring back the man she loved. The boy she couldn't live without.

"Please no!" Dropping to her knees, physical exhaustion finally got the better of her and air refused to be draw into her lungs. What was happening?

Booth heard her scream and took off through the darkness toward it. He found her on her knees in a five-foot wide puddle, her head bowed low to the ground. Kneeling beside her, he finally got the chance to do what he had been wanting to do since the moment he laid eyes on her back at the Dicken's place.

He hugged her.

April buried her face in his soaking wet shirt as her firm emotionless resolve crumbled and scattered around her, leaving her small, cold and terrified. And wet.

Booth kissed the top of her head trying to shield her from the rain. He whispered to her, but wasn't sure she believed him when he said it would be alright. She did like to be in his arms though. It was safe in his arms, safe to mourn her loss without fearing another.

They waited for the tears to subside, both clinging to the other for dear life.

Finally Booth felt she was calm and lifted April into his arms. He pressed her to his chest as he made his way through the parking lot back to the overhang in front of the hospital.

Under the overhand and sheilded from the downpour, he sat her down on a cool dry bench near the doors.

"April," he crouched in front of her, trying to catch her eyes, "I want to finish what I was saying."

She closed her eyes and shivered, Booth shrugged off his coat, which was a bit wet on the outside, but warm and dry on the inside.

"Please Booth. Don't." She shook her head and looked away.

"Tommy is not dead April."

**_Hows that for a twist?_**


	20. It's Never That Easy

**_Sorry for the misleading guys...I couldn't help myself. Oh, and when the song is mentioned her, I HIGHLY reccomend you listen to it, it's a great song and really adds to the mood_**

**---**

**Well now I feel like an idiot.**

**---**

April lifted her chin and looked at Booth under the cover of wet eyelashes.

"W-what do you mean? You said…"

"I know what I said Sweet…April. I probably should have phrased that a little better." He was still cursing himself for how smoothly he'd broken the news to her. "Tommy was in surgery and there were complications. He was technically "dead" for six minutes."

Booth ran his hands up and down her arms, trying to warm her when her teeth begin to chatter.

April closed her eyes, shaking her head ever so slightly and shrugging deeper into Booth's jacket.

"But he's back. They brought him back."

Booth reassured her. "They're just concerned about what the effects on his brain will be after six minutes without oxygen, he hasn't woken up yet."

Booth waited patiently while April let the news sink in. A breeze had been added to the rain and his back and arms were being splattered with cold raindrops being blown in past the overhang. Water from his hair dripped down to his face and he shuddered, he was freezing cold as well.

"But…he's alive?" She said finally, opening her eyes and clamping her bottom lip hard between her teeth.

Booth nodded. "He's alive."

They heard the hospital door open and turned to see Brennan walking toward them, her auburn hair falling loosely around her face, hands pushed into shallow jean pockets.

"You guys alright?"

Booth nodded and stood up, making fists as he tried to warm his fingers.

April looked at the ground. "Can I see him?" She asked quietly.

Brennan looked at Booth, who tilted his head at the odd expression on her face.

"Well…the, um…they think it would be best if he didn't have many visitors tonight. Just his parents for now." She said, awkwardly delivering the troublesome news.

April lifted her head, fear, hope and hurt flashing in her eyes.

"His parents right? His parents don't want me there." April waited, and knew by the way Dr. Brennan was avoiding her gaze that it was true.

She took a deep breath and stood up.

"It's okay. I'm tired. Can we just…head back?"

Booth took a moment to study her and nodded.

"I'll bring up the car."

---

**Sometimes the nightmares even haunt my dreams.**

---

"Booth. She's sleeping. I promise she's not going anywhere." Brennan reached for his hand and pried it off the steering wheel so that it rested in her own. He'd checked the rear-view mirror at least eight times in the last three minutes. It was as if he was afraid April would disappear before his eyes.

Booth nodded and squeezed her hand before releasing it so he could flip the windshield wipers to a higher speed.

"I know, it's just…I almost lost her too many times recently. I'm afraid…" He sighed and shook his head. He hated the tight knot in his stomach, worry was a tiring emotion.

Brennan nodded, wishing she knew how to reassure him. But, since she didn't, she settled for fiddling with the radio and resting her hand on his thigh.

Booth smiled when the smooth notes of a very familiar song filled the SUV.

_Absolutely perfect._ His thought was punctuated by the silence left by the rain when it paused and they passed under a bridge.

"Leave it there Babe."

She looked at him and decided to ignore the 'Babe' comment for the time being.

"You know this song?"

Booth closed his eyes momentarily and took a deep breath. "Please tell me you're kidding Bones."

When he looked at her, she wore a clever smile.

"Stand By Me? Ben E. King. Booth, even I'm not that clueless."

Booth shook his head and picked up her hand, bringing it to his lips, he kissed it softly.

Brennan had turned back to look out the window, the chorus played for the second time before she realized Booth hadn't let go of her hand, was instead tapping it thoughtfully against his chin.

"Booth?"

"Hmmm?"

"Is everything okay?" She asked slowly, amused at the sheepish grin he gave her when she looked pointedly at her captured hand.

"Heh, sorry." He started to release her but she simply moved and laced her fingers with his.

"So what is it?"

Booth glanced at her again before going through the next light.

"I was…um, thinking."

"That is obvious Booth. What about?"

He shifted and a frown tightened the space between his eyebrows ever so slightly. He hoped she didn't freak out with what he was about to say next.

"It's just that…um…I…" He sighed, might as well get it over with. Stalling wouldn't change her answer or her reaction.

"I have an older sister."

Brennan frowned, confused by the topic shift. "Yeah…"

"Well, it's just that I don't really…know anything about girls. Teenage girls, that is."

"So…" Brennan waited for him to clarify because, frankly, she was lost.

Booth cleared his throat and reached up to loosen his tie, only to find he wasn't wearing one.

_What did I do with that thing?_

"What I'm trying to say Bones…Temperance, is that…I don't think it would be a horrible idea for you to be…you know, around. A lot."

Brennan turned to look out the windshield, though obviously still processing whatever it was Booth was saying.

"Well…I know. I mean, we are together so…"

"No, Bones I mean…regularly. Like…"

"Like…living with you?" She asked tentatively, finally beginning to connect the dots.

"Well…yeah." Booth saw her tense up and started talking quickly. "You don't have to do it now though. I mean it's still really soon, maybe we'd only do it part time, just a few days a week. I mean I do have Parker every once in a while. You know what, this is a crazy idea, just, just forget I said anything."

Booth held his breath and turned to look out his window at the next light, mouthing curse words to himself and waiting for her reaction.

Brennan smiled at his sudden discomfort.

"Wow Booth. I never knew you were _so_ articulate."

Booth rolled his eyes and looked at her, a sarcastic grin on his face.

"Thanks Bones."

Brennan saw him get defensive and shook her head, reaching over to tickle his ear.

"Hey!" He jumped away from her and glared.

"Booth," Brennan's tone was somber and Booth followed suit, waiting patiently for her to continue.

"I think that's a very logical arrangement." She smiled and Booth returned it, fighting a very strong urge to kiss her, "I honestly can't imagine going everyday without Parker's giggling or April's telling everyone to 'hold still' so she could draw them." She pursed her lips to prevent smiling, "I even think it might be difficult to sleep without waking every few minutes to tell you you're snoring."

Booth looked appalled. "I do not snore!"

Brennan shrugged, moving her arm back over to her side of the car. "But I do agree it's a big step, so maybe part time is a good idea, at least for now. I could spend a few days at your place, a few days at mine."

Booth nodded and for the thousandth time that day, thanked God for small miracles.

"You're amazing Bones." He reached over to squeeze her knee and she covered his hand with her own.

"So I've been told."

---

**I used to cry out in my sleep all the time, hoping someone would hear me and take me away. But after the first few times it made Rodger go psycho on me, I stopped, even the most disturbing nightmares couldn't get a peep out of me, I wouldn't allow myself even in sleep to say how scared I was.**

**I wonder if it means something that all of a sudden I do.**

---

They were about ten minutes from Booth's apartment before anyone spoke again. And when the silence was broken, it wasn't by either of the adults in the front seat.

"Mnno." April turned her head violently to the other side and frowned in her sleep.

"Stop it…no." Her voice got louder and Booth and Brennan glanced at each other before she turned to look at April in the back seat.

"April?"

The girl remained undisturbed, the expression on her face changing from confusion, to anger to fear.

"No…Please Stop!" April's voice shook and she became frantic, thrashing and moving about, fighting an unseen attacker with clumsy strikes laden with sleep.

"April! Wake up honey." Booth swerved the SUV in and out of the opposing lane as he tried to tend to April and drive at the same time.

"Booth! Keep your eyes on the road!"

Booth's heart pounded and he watched as Brennan quickly unbuckled herself and climbed into the backseat with April.

"April. April wake up." She gently took hold of the girl's shoulders and tried to hold her still against her thrashing body.

"April!" One last shake of her shoulders and April's eyes flew open. She gasped and shrunk away from Brennan, her entire body trembling and panting for breath.

By now Booth had pulled off to the side of the road and jumped out, rounding to April's side of the SUV and flinging the door open.

He saw her. She looked so young and small in his big dress coat, clutching tightly to Brennan, her face pressed into her shoulder while she sobbed uncontrollably. Booth didn't even notice the drizzle of rain running down his face and neck when his eyes connected with Brennan as she gently stroked April's hair, whispering the same reassuring words over and over.

"He's dead April. I promise he's dead."

**_Man...I told you that angst train was long didn't I? _**


	21. Do You Understand?

**_Well, I'm bored, so I guess that means NEW CHAP FOR YOU!! lol. Um, and yes in answer to your questions the angst train is long as the track. _**

April sat leaning against Brennan's shoulder for the rest of the way home. In an unusually motherly gesture, Brennan stroked her black hair and smoothed it out of her face, calming the girl's heartbeat more with every movement.

"What are you smiling at?" Booth asked, he'd just glanced in the rear view mirror and saw April smiling.

April's eyes flicked toward him and she fidled with the black bracelets on her wrist.

"Rodger."

Both Brennan and Booth looked at her as if she'd lost her mind.

"Rodger?"

April nodded, her grin being reborn on pale pink lips.

"He's dead. I told him so." She shook her head slightly and stared at her fingers with an expression that could only have been described as dreamy.

"Told him what?" Brennan asked innocently.

"I told him he was digging his own grave and that Seeley would make sure he laid in it."

"Ha, April," Booth smiled at April's knack for inappropriate sarcasm, "I'm going to tell you the same thing I told Bones, 'don't provoke the lunatic'."

April laughed and winced, touching a tender bruise on her ribs, Brennan noticed and helped sit her up in a better position. "Yeah. I know that now." She got quiet, and looked out the window.

Booth, seeing her expression, cursed himself inwardly.

"Oh, April I'm sorry. I didn't…"

"I know Seeley, it's fine. My own fault really…" She said automatically.

Booth felt his throat close at the sound of submitance in her voice. In an instant he knew he had to stop this here and now. Slamming on the brakes, he swerved to the side of the road.

"No. I don't ever want you to say that. Okay?" He twisted around to look at her, her eyes wide, but coherent. "None of this is your fault. _None_ of it." He knew he was probably being too harsh, but he couldn't stand the idea of her blaming herself for any of the things Rodger was responsible for.

"Do you understand April?" He asked, quieter, almost pleadingly.

She nodded and was sure meet his eyes. "I understand."


	22. Safe Again

**_A bunch fo you requested a longer chap, this isn't it, so I'm posting another right after this. _**

---

**I miss Tommy already, I wish I'd stayed. He needs me. Maybe even more than I need him.**

---

Booth waited patiently in the doorway for Brennan to turn down Parker's sheets, and he made a mental note that April would need her own set. He doubted sixteen-year-old girls were too keen on sleeping with Sesame Street characters underneathe them.

When she gave him the 'go ahead' he carefully crossed the room, not wanting to trip and have a repeat of the night before.

Brennan smiled at him as he passed her and went to grab one of Booth's old t-shirts for April to wear.

She paused over his chest of drawers and took a deep breath. She really hadn't had a chance to do that since...in a while. It felt like they'd been running all day, all week. Now it was over and she blinked to keep her heavy eyelids at bay. She wondered how Booth was holding up.

_If this is how I feel, he must be dead on his feet._ She thought, grabbing a blue shirt and leaving the room. _Not literally of course_.

She went back to Parker's room, about to ask if the t-shirt she'd selected was okay, but stopped when she found him kneeling beside the bed. She watched as he gently brushed the black hair from April's eyes, a tenderness in his every movement that almost took her breath away.

Booth fought to breathe as he stared at April's still form in the quiet bedroom. He marveled at how, even in the yellow glow of the lamp and with the big purple bruise on her face, still managed to look like an angel. He closed his eyes, trying to forget how close he'd come to losing her and bit back a string of curses he felt like shouting at himself for being so stupid. He should have been there, he should have protected her. But now, more than ever, he was determined to make sure she was never in danger again.

---

**I wish he didn't have to put me to bed. The world doesn't seem so scary when Booth hugs me. Or.. carry's me for that matter.**

---

He opened his eyes and balled his fists on the bed beside her to stop their trembling, fear was not an emotion he was accostomed to, but he'd come to expect it when it came to his girls.

_You love them. Fear comes with the territory. _

Brennan watched quietly from the shadows as Booth leaned down to press the gentlest of kisses to April's forehead. He stood and his sharp eyes took one last look to make sure she was okay. And she didn't have to be a lip reader to know what he whispered to his goddaughter moments later.

Everyone can read the words 'I love you'.

Booth's eyes met hers and she gave him a gentle smile as he left the room.

God, how she loved that man.

"I'm going to say goodnight okay?" She whispered, kissing him gently as he passed her in the doorway. "You go ahead and get in bed. I'll be there in a minute."

Booth nodded and Brennan watched him disappear down the hall.

She seemed to have been gone a long time, but he resisted the urge to go find out what was going on. It probably hadn't been too long, his nerves were just on edge from the stressful day and he'd been biting his tongue for most of it trying not to snap anyone's head's off. Not that he had always succeeded. He was exhausted.

Booth rolled onto his back in his cool bedroom with only the sheet for covering and he stared at the white ceiling trying to ignore the fidgety feeling coursing through his body. He wanted so badly to go check on them. Check on her, how she was doing with April, but knew he couldn't. He trusted her with his life and with Parker's, he wouldn't make her believe he didn't trust her with April's now that she'd agreed to stay.

That thought brought a smile to his lips.

_She's going to stay._

Brennan pushed open his bedroom door, the light from the all slid across the floor and illuminated a strip of space across the bed so she had a perfect view of his tone bare chest and exhausted face. She'd expected to find him asleep, his exhaustion was obvious, but he was wide awake staring at the ceiling.

"Booth?" She could sense his tension from across the room and stood awkwardly in the doorway, unsure of her place.

Booth turned his head toward her and without hesitation, un-tucked one of his hands from behind his head and held it out to her.

She smiled, shut off the hall ligh and quickly shrugged out of her pants before snuggling under the covers with him. Booth turned to press himself against her and wrapped a hand just about her abdomen, his palm pressing her belly button firmly.

"Long day." He whispered tiredly, kissing her neck once before settling his face into her hair, that still managed to smell like her lavender shampoo even after the day they'd had.

"Yeah," Brennan sighed, "Long day."

- - - - -

Booth frowned in his sleep, his body involuntarily twitching and grasping things only he could see. Anyone would look at him, see sweat pouring down his back, over his body, muffled cries from his throat, and they would say he's having a flashback. And they would be right, but it was a flashback of a completely different kind.

He was back at that house, back feeling physically sick because he couldn't go to her. Protect her and save her. But this dream was a nightmare. This time they were too late and he watched as the smoke rose form the ash and debris. An explosion had torn the house apart.

Booth's eyes snapped open and he involuntarily squeezed Brennan closer to him, still not entirely able to distinguish what was real and what wasn't. After a few moments the adrenalyn subsded and his breathing returned to normal. Releasing her, flipped over on his back. He pressed his hands to his face and slowly shook his head.

_Just a dream. Just a dream._

There was the sound of a soft thump down the hall and his senses were immediately on high alert. The locks clicked on the front door and Booth shot out of bed toward the noise.

---

**I wonder how heavy of a sleeper Seeley is.**

---

**_Okay, another chap will be up later tonight!_**


	23. Confession

_**Okay, I do believe the angst train is making it's final stop...there are only two more chaps and they are heavily weighted in the fluff side of the mountain, so I hope you enjoyed the ride!**_

**--**

**Don't wake up. Don't wake up…it'll be so much easier this way. Please don't wake up…**

---

Booth crept down the hall towards the living room where a small table lamp was on, indicating there was not an intruder. He peeked around the corner and sighed. There she was, exactly as he knew, hoped, she would be.

April shrugged further into the leather jacket she'd pulled off the hook by the door, she hoped Booth wouldn't mind her borrowing it. Biting her lip, she reached for the doorknob, praying to God that it wouldn't squeak.

She nearly jumped out of her skin when she heard his voice behind her.

"Most climb down a tree when they sneak out."

She turned and pressed her back up against the door, holding back a wince as she did so.

"I'm not really in any condition to be climbing trees." She said evenly, her hand still awkwardly gripping the door handle.

Booth moved so that he was leaning against the wall of the hallway and crossed his arms.

"Where are you going?"

"The hospital." She squared her shoulders, ready for an argument. "Don't try and stop me Seeley, I have to go. Tommy…I have to go."

Booth narrowed his eyes for a second and studied her. Finally, took a deep breath and stood straighter, shaking his head.

"I wasn't going to try and stop you, I'm not sure I could if you really want to go."

Stunned, April furrowed her brows, about to speak when Booth beat her to it.

"But before you do…care to join me for something to drink?"

Tilting her head, she hesitated before smiling. "Can I have a Rum and Coke?"

Booth cracked a small gring and turned his back, heading for the kitchen.

"Sure. In five years. Sit on the couch, I'll be out in a minute."

April rolled her eyes and eyed the doorknob before releasing it. She'd expected him to be angry, or at least upset with her. Neither were things she was really looking forward to, but felt prepared for. Since Booth had simply shrugged and calmly headed to the kitchen, she was curious as to why.

"I guess I could spare a few minutes."

Pulling Booth's jacket tighter around her, she tugged on a piece of her hair as she sat down on the couch. Feeling fidgety, she shifted several times before finally pulling her feet under in such a way that her slight body barely took up less than one couch cushion.

Booth returned from the kitchen and sat down next to her.

"Warm milk. Disgusting, but it works." He smiled and turned away, sipping his drink carefully as his eyes slowly left focus.

April watched him for a moment, his usually vibrant brown eyes were vacant and she wondered if she really had been what woken him, or if maybe it was something else.

"Seeley?" She tried. No response.

"Seeley?" She touched his arm, Booth jumped, turning to look at her.

"What is it?"

"Is something bothering you? You look like…something's bothering you."

Booth gave her a small smile to put her at ease and rested his elbows on his knees, starring out into the dark night through the window across from them.

"You're living with an ex-sniper you know."

April scrunched up her face.

"What?"

"Trying to sneak out? Not that hard, unless you're living with someone who's been trained to listen and respond to strange noises, even in their sleep." The grin fell from his face and he turned to look at her. "Don't do it again, okay?"

April's eyes faltered and her deep green eyes turned turbulent. "Seeley…I have to go to him…"

"I'm not disputing that. I've seen the way you are together and I understand, believe me I do. But…just don't try to sneak out like that okay? I almost lost you today…I made a promise to your dad to keep you safe and so far I haven't done such a great job keeping it. Don't put me through waking up and not knowing where you are. Please April?" Booth was surprised by the slight shake in his voice and knew his nightmare had affected him more than he cared to admit.

April's eyes widened at the raw emotion detectable in Booth's voice. She nodded and turned away, shifting uncomfortably in her seat.

"I'm sorry. I won't do it again." She said barely above a whisper, hating herself for causing him pain.

Booth nodded and reached over to put a hand on her shoulder.

"Okay." He tugged her ponytail and she smiled down at the coffee table. "What is it about this guy anyway? Tommy, what makes him so special?"

At mention of his name April's face brightened like a 1000watt light bulb and she turned her beautiful smile on him.

She sighed. "Tommy. Well…Tommy is…everything good. Everything strong, and brave…he…" She paused, searching for the right phrase. "He restored my faith in people."

She nodded, turning to face him, scooting a bit closer. Booth tilted his head at the dreamy look in her eyes.

"Before Tommy, I'd had a rough couple of years. But…he came along and he put up with everything. Tolerated me, enjoyed me for me…he was there for me when no one else was around." She shook her head slowly and tugged on a piece of string falling from Booth's sleeve. "I to this day don't know why he did it, but I'm glad he did. Without him…I don't know where I'd be except," she shrugged, "lost."

She looked up to meet Booth's eyes for the first time and smiled softly. "That's why."

"That's great April. I'm happy for you." Booth smiled and turned to his milk, polishing it off in one gulp.

"Seeley? Do you think …" She took a deep breath, "…do you think Dad woulda' liked Tommy?"

Booth's shoulders slumped slightly, the memories of his best friend were still heavy even after all these years.

"I do. It's obvious how happy Tommy makes you and that's all your dad ever wanted. For you to be happy." He said quietly, trying to gauge her reaction to what he was saying. She just fiddled with her fingers in her lap.

"Yeah…that's what I always thought too."

Booth was slightly startled when she sniffed; he hadn't expected she'd started crying.

"But that day…I don't know. Sometimes I think about that day…and I wonder." She looked up and Booth caught his breath, her red-rimmed eyes standing out from pale skin. Dark green eyes that, just a moment ago had held such hope and love, were now tortured and sad. He frowned and reached for her hand, hoping to offer some comfort and reassurance.

"I wonder if it was all a lie. All the hugs and 'I love you's. I wonder if he meant a single word…because who does that? Who blows his brains out and leaves his twelve-year-old daughter there to pick up the pieces of her life when he's gone?" Her shaking voice was masked with glassy tears and laced with bitterness. She gripped Booth's hand harder. "I'm the one that found him…sometimes I…" She trailed off, shaking her head as she closed her eyes, years of suppressed tears streaming down her cheeks. She held her breath, attempting to banish the memories from her consciousness and keep the sobs at bay.

"I didn't know you…saw." Booth practically choked on the words. He'd seen his fair share of suicides, none of them were pretty and the images had haunted him for months afterward. April seeing it, being only twelve at the time, he didn't even want to imagine the kind of trauma that caused.

A sob broke from her chest and he couldn't take it, pulled her into his arms and tucked her head beneath his chin as she cried.

"It was…everywhere….he just left me…I can't…I can't…" April sobbed into his chest and ended up hiccupping as if air was a precious commodity she couldn't afford. Booth calmly rubbed her back and waited for her to regain control.

He closed his eyes his guilt reflex working perfectly.

_I could've…should've been there for her. What was I thinking? How could I let her do this on her own?_

"I'm right here April." He kissed her hair, "I'm always here, little Bug."

After a minute or so April's breathing returned to normal, but she was content with staying wrapped in Booth's strong arms so she didn't attempt to move.

"Is it wrong that I miss him sometimes? Even after everything?" She asked quietly.

Booth sighed.

"No April, he was your father, I don't think it's wrong to miss your father." April nodded, but Booth didn't feel se was convinced.

"Do you remember why I call you Bug?" He asked suddenly.

April shifted but didn't move. "Yeah. Of course I do."

Booth nodded. "You were six years old and performing in your first school play…"

"I know the story Seeley. I was there."

Booth continued as if she hadn't spoken and April found his voice, and the vibrations rumbling in his chest quite calming.

"It was about a garden, or a greenhouse or something. Anyway, you were the ladybug. You came out on stage and you said about three lines I think. Even so, your dad, mom and I couldn't have been more proud. You smiled that big toothless grin and afterward, I scooped you up and we all went out to eat."

Booth smiled, remembering the day vividly. "You absolutely refused to take off your costume, always were an opinionated child weren't you April?" He smoothed her hair once more before continuing. "You were acting like such a little lady that night. If you hadn't been a three-foot tall red and black polka-dotted insect, you would have fit right in at Chez Francios'. That is until you managed to shoot spaghetti out of your nose."

"Seeley, is there a reason you're regaling one of the most embarrassing stories from my short childhood?" April mumbled, studying her fingers and the ends of her hair to ignore his laughter.

"Because April, One, that was the day I started calling you Ladybug, and later just Bug. But also because…you remember how happy you were that day? How safe you felt?" Booth asked quietly.

April only nodded; sitting up to face him as she realized the important part of the anecdote was coming.

"It'll feel like that again someday April. You'll feel safe and happy again someday." Booth said in all seriousness.

April bit her lip and nodded.

--

**I believe you Uncle Seeley. Always.**

**---**

**_Only two more chaps to go...anyone up for the Fluff Boat? (it's a boat because it sometimes makes you naseous but is always fun!) lol._**


	24. Marshmellows First

**_Thanks for all the great reviews, only a bit more left. All aboard the Fluff Boat! _**

---

**I see his face, hear his voice. I know he's here and I know we had a close call. I reach out to touch his skin…and I don't want to wake from this dream.**

---

Brennan rolled over and shivered, aware that the body of heat that was supposed to be beside her, was missing. Frowning, she opened her eyes and stared at the expanse of messy sheets, orienting herself and searching her memory for where Booth had been the last time she saw him. Coming to the conclusion that he had indeed been beside her when she fell asleep, she tried to remember whether or not he'd gotten up in the middle of the night.

Sitting up slowly, her hair a tousled mess pushed over to one side, she squinted and scanned the darkened room. Still coming up empty, she slowly rose from the bed and started down the hall.

Booth stood in the doorway to the living room watching April sleep. She'd finally lolled off about halfway through one of his rambling stories about Parker she'd asked him to tell her. He'd decided to leave her on the couch, which is where she was now.

Booth tensed a bit when he felt Brennan's arms close around his waist but immediately relaxed. Picking up one of her pale hands, he kissed it and turned to face her.

"Good morning Beautiful. How was your night?" He smiled softly and tried to catch the breath her bright blue eyes had taken from him. No longer clouded with sleep and not yet dulled with the stress of the day, her eyes had taken on an almost luminescent, unimaginable, perfect-spring-day shade of blue that he found himself lost inside of.

Brennan just smiled, unaware of the debilitating effect the color of her eyes were having on him, and shrugged one shoulder.

"Would have been better waking up next to you." She mumbled, almost unable to believe she'd uttered such a domestic comment.

Booth saw the color rise in her cheeks and suppressed a laugh when she stole his coffee to try and hide it.

She brought the cup to her lips, still leaning against him, and seconds later hastily pulled it away, scrunching up her face in disgust.

"Ugh. That's not how I like my coffee." She gave him an accusatory look and Booth raised his eyebrows.

He took the cup from her. "That's because I didn't make it for you." He winked and leaned down to kiss her, which Brennan gladly reciprocated. He'd intended for it to be quick since he had yet to think of anything for breakfast, but she pulled her hands up to wrap around his neck and all those thoughts disappeared. Booth pulled her tighter against him, roaming the flesh under her shirt with his free hand.

Moving into he kitchen still lip locked, he blindly set his mug on the counter, freeing his other hand to join the first in exploring the skin that was being exposed by her shirt as he moved it upward. They were just to the point of being ready to take things to the bedroom, when a voice cut through their muddled thoughts.

"If you kiss any louder you'll wake the whole building."

Booth and Brennan's heads snapped over to where April stood, her hair now loose and falling into her eyes, black t-shirt and jeans, leaning against the kitchen doorframe.

April found their matching deer-in-headlights looks and current inability to form sentences quite amusing and smirked as she crossed the room, pouring herself a cup of coffee.

That got Booth's attention and he promptly removed the mug from her hands, put a drop of creamer in it and handed it to Brennan, which she took gratefully, returning to him his own mug.

April smiled again and shook her head, watching the whole exchange. Their routine seemed to work like clockwork built around conversations not spoken aloud.

"You know, Angela was right about you two."

"Right about what about us?" Brennan threaded her arm around Booth's back and leaned into him while they stood back against the countertop sipping their coffee.

"The attraction. I believe she said 'there's so much attraction between those two they're changing the tilt of the earth'. Of course then she was worried about sounding 'too squinty'." April gave Booth a playful glare and he shrugged, slurping his drink loudly while Brennan seemed deep in thought.

"Tilt of the earth…OH! Because the earth and it's tilt are held in place because of the opposing magnetic forces of the North and South poles?" Brennan looked up, quite pleased with herself.

April stared blankly for a moment before nodding slowly.

"Um. Yeah. But it's not as funny when you have to explain it."

Booth sighed, kissing Brennan's forehead. "That's my Bones. Squint, writer, investigator and joke killer."

"Yeah, but you couldn't love her any more could you Seeley?" April jibed, sitting carefully at the kitchen table.

Booth shook his head, wrapping his arms firmly around the woman in question.

"I don't think so, but that won't stop me from trying."

He laughed when Brennan rolled her eyes and opened her mouth to retort, only to be interrupted by the ringing of a cell phone.

Booth excused himself to go answer it and Brennan started opening and closing cabinets looking for breakfast.

"Aha! Cereal. What do you like April? We've got Kiks, Fruit Loops, Cherrios, CoCoa Puffs, Lucky Charms…"

April shot up from he chair as quickly as her injuries would allow.

"Lucky Charms! I want Lucky Charms!" She chanted, reminding Brennan quite a lot of the way baby birds cackled for the worms their mother brought them to eat.

April snatched the box from Brennan's hands and quickly poured a bowl and covered it with milk, her stomach growling in anticipation of being fed.

"When was the last time you ate?" Brennan asked, watching wide-eyed the feverish pace with which April was preparing her meal.

"I don't know…yesterday morning."

Brennan frowned but nodded she was sure a girl of April's petite frame and weight shouldn't be skipping meals.

_Although it's not like she really had a choice in the matter. _

She watched as the girl shoveled the first spoonful into her mouth, completely void of anything but sugary Marshmallows.

"Why do you eat all the Marshmallows first?" Brennan asked, a concentrated, slightly confused look on her face.

April glanced up, raising one eyebrow as if that was the most ridiculous question she'd ever heard.

"Why wouldn't I?" She furrowed her brows, "They're good."

"April." Booth appeared in the doorway, still holding the receiver but not to his ear.

"What?" She asked, her mouth full and milk working it's way down her chin.

His face broke out into a wide grin.

"Tommy's awake…and he's asking for you."

---

**He's awake. That's…that's…oh man. So this is what it feels like to breathe.**

---

**_One more chap and then a sequel! Yaaaayyyy!! _**


	25. Soul Mates

**_Here is the last chap, the sequel is on it's way, but there may be a slight hiatus before it gets posted, just FYI. Thanks to all my reviewers, and to all my lurkers, I hope you enjoyed this as much as I did._**

Her fingers twitched with the need to touch him, her heart ached to feel him. The girl trudged slowly down the hall, the bright fluorescent lights of the hospital made her look even paler than usual.

April halted in the middle of the hallway, just twenty feet from Tommy's room.

"What is it?" Booth and Brennan flanked her on both sides, wondering what she was doing.

"Um. His parents, are they…?" She winced at the memory of the way Mrs. Walker had screamed at her and she was not in any rush to have a repeat of that.

Booth moved into her line of vision.

"He's asking for you April. I don't think it matters where they are." She still looked doubtful so he added, "And no, they're not. I took care of it."

He winked and she smiled.

"I want to know all about that later."

"Of course you will Bug." He smiled, taking her shoulder to push her gently rest of the way to Tommy's room.

He looked like he was sleeping and it both comforted and frightened her. Throwing one last glance over her shoulder to Booth and Brennan in the doorway, she crept silently around the corner. She breathed a sigh of relief when she found he was alone in the room and approached the bed more boldly.

April thought he looked pretty good for a guy with head trauma. There was color in his skin and aside from the white bandage on his head, he looked just like her Tommy.

She paused for a moment, looking at him with the perceptive green eyes of a girl that had seen too much, knew too much.

Convinced he was not going to disappear from before her, she lifted her hand to touch his face and the world disappeard. Using one finger, she traced a line from his eyebrow, down his nose, across his lips and to his chin. A delicate, feather light touch that usually made him smile as he awoke, he said 'it tickled'.

She waited, holding her breath, but there was no reaction. April turned wide eyes to Booth and he smiled, nodding that she should try again.

She looked back at Tommy and, imagining her favorite storybook as a child, she bent low and kissed his lips.

---

**So what if he's the boy? He is a Sleeping Beauty.**

---

She rested her lips there, against his, and closed her eyes, taking in the scent of him and the warmth his body brought to hers. Her hair fell from behind her ears, hiding her face from the rest of the world, and it was then that she allowed a few silent tears to fall. Rolling in fat droplets off her long eyelashes and onto Tommy's face. The dots of warmth woke him slowly.

After a moment she felt hands in her hair and cool fingers pressed against her scalp, lips kissng her back.

April couldn't help but smile and kissed him more urgently, with want and need until she thought her lungs would burst.

She pulled away, gasping.

"Tommy."

"April."

They smiled and he removed one of his hands from her hair to wipe his face.

"You got me wet." He said quietly, laughing.

"Yeah. Sorry about that." She brought her hands to her face and pressed against her eyes, taking deep breaths.

"Tommy I thought…"

She stopped short and held her breath to keep the sobs at bay. Tommy realized she was near crying and reached up slowly, prying her hands away from her face.

"It's okay...baby I'm fine. Promise." She nodded, but didn't look at him.

"Besides, I could have taken him." He said quietly, eliciting a small smile from the girl.

"Sure you could have."

"No, really. He just surprised me that's all. I could have had him on his back in nothing flat."

April shook her head, sitting down in the chair beside him.

"Yeah. I know baby."

Tommy continued to ramble on about how he could have beaten Rodger up giving half the chance, and before long he had himself convince he could have done it with his eyes closed and one hand tied behind his back.

April just smiled and nodded, thankful to have her cocky boyfriend back. She looked up at the door and smiled at Booth and Brennan, standing there holding each other's waists.

She locked eyes with Booth and smiled, a smile that reminded him of a man he once knew and he returned it. Her lips parted and she mouthed two words to him.

'Thank you'.

Booth just winked and slowly backed he and Brennan out of the room, shutting the door.

Brennan watched him shut the door and swallowed hard. April had Tommy back, she had Booth…so why did she feel like the world was about to explode?

She stepped away from him and sighed, walking down the hall. Booth frowned at her back.

"Bones?"

She stopped but didn't turn around. He knew something had clicked over, changed, just in the past five seconds. He watched her as she walked over to the window to look outside where the sun had slid behind a cloud.

"Bones what's up?" He moved toward her and touched her arm, leaning one shoulder against the wall.

She nibbled lightly on her lip before turning toward him.

"You think we can do this?"

"I know we can." He said without hesitation, not needing to ask what she meant.

She nodded and turned to look out the window again.

"It just seems like we're moving fast."

"We can slow down if you want."

"No. That's just it, I don't want to slow down. I like how we are, I feel like this is how it's supposed to be but…April's not going to get over all of this over night Booth. It's going to take a lot of time and effort and she's going to need…and then there's us…I don't know…I've never been here before. Never done this before. Never had someone like you and it's scaring me and I…what?"

Booth was smiling at her. He shook his head slightly and stepped toward her, gently kissing her breathless.

"Your so cute you border on adorable." He clasped his hands behind her back, pressing her against him.

"I will break every bone in your body if you ever call me adorable again." She said quietly, relazing as her head rested in the crook of his neck.

Booth's soft laughter vibrated through their bodies and he hugged her closer.

"Listen Bones," His voice was suddenly serious, "I understand you're scared, and that everything that's happened is a lot to take in." He paused and she nodded to signal she was listening, her arms curled up to her chest, cocooning herself inside his embrace.

"But that's okay, Temperance. It's okay to be scared."

Brennan pulled back to look at him and he smiled at her puzzled expression .

"Uncharted waters are always scary, but they're also the most fun." He leaned down and kissed her forehead. "Lets ride some waves shall we?"

He grinned at his own cheesy comment and she rolled her eyes. Then her eyes darkened and she smirked, pressing her pelvis into him. She looked up through her eyelashes.

"I can ride waves. But for right now…I think I'd prefer to ride something else. I believe I told you once that I don't like to wait, and you, Agent Booth, have kept me waiting."

Booth was shell-shocked for a moment by her sudden change in mood. But he soon caught up and gave her a sexy-as-sin grin.

"I'll make it up to you." He whispered, kissing her hard and pushing her back into a nearby door, praying to God that it was unlocked and empty inside.

"Hey Bones, you're not a screamer…are you?"

"Booth…I don't think it's me you should be worried about."

**_Bit o Fluffersmut for you guys, use your ever-capable imaginations please. And look out for the sequel some time soon. Thanks to everyone who has stuck with me through this angsty ride, it's been fun! Over and Out. _**


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